Category: Twelve Days of Cookies

Holiday cookie recipes
Apricot Oat Bars Delicious and Easy, Bar None

Apricot Oat Bars Delicious and Easy, Bar None

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Finally, after months of being a COVID couch potato, I got off my duff and headed up to the reservoir to row again.  I had forgotten how nice it was to be on the water in the early morning, to get in a shell, grip the oars, press with my legs, and propel the boat through the water.  Gliding through the water I would catch glimpses of the resident bald eagles soaring then diving toward the water.  I live for these moments…


Who Am I Kidding?

What I really look forward to is COFFEE after the row, lol.  After every row, we head to our favorite spot for coffee and something to nosh on.  Lately, that nosh has been a tasty apricot bar. It reminds me of an Apricot Oatmeal Bar I used to make when the kids were little…

The recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Kids Cookbook, that bar was a family favorite once upon a time.  I decided to find it, dust it off, and make it again.

This is a naughty granola bar.  The bars are buttery, sweet, tart, dense, and chewy with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla.  Just packed full of yummy stuff and calories (intentionally made in smaller font, lol).  Incredibly easy to make, all you need is a bowl and a spoon.  Toss old-fashioned oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour into a large bowl. stir to combine, then add melted butter, vanilla, and chopped apricots. Add nuts too if you like.

Bake, cool, and cut.  How easy is that?  These bars are great after a hard workout, a long hike, or anytime!

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Apricot Oatmeal Bars

Course bar cookies, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apricots, bar cookies, oatmeal
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut up
  • 1 cup firmly packed dried apricots
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped nuts of your choice like almonds pecans or pistachios (optional)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • soft butter for greasing pan

Instructions

  • Melt 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter in the microwave. Cut butter into pieces and place in microwave-safe bowl. ?Cover with a small plate or paper towel ( I use the paper the butter comes in) and set power to 50%. Set time to 30 seconds. If butter is not completely melted, continue at 50% power and 15-20 second increments. Or place butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
  • Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with a large piece of aluminum foil (some foil hanging over the edges is fine). Lightly grease the foil with the soft butter. YOu could also use parchment paper.
  • Cut apricots into about 1/2-inch pieces. (Use kitchen shears to snip apricots works like a charm)
  • In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a spoon or spatula until well blended and no lumps of sugar remain.
  • Add apricots, nuts if using, melted butter and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until well blended. The dough will be moist and crumbly. Dump the dough into the prepared baking pan. Press the dough into the pan with your fingers.
  • Bake until the top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven, set on a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
  • Lift the foil and the oatmeal bars from the pan and place on a work surface. Peel away the foil from the sides and bottom. Using a small, sharp knife, cut the big square into 1 1/2-by-3-inch rectangles. Store in an airtight container. Makes 18 bar cookies.

Notes

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma The Kid's Cookbook, by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Time-Life Books, 2000).
The Cookie Bible from Rose Levy Beranbaum!

The Cookie Bible from Rose Levy Beranbaum!

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I have been a big fan of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s books for a very long time. I went to my bookshelf to see just how many of her books I have, I counted six. Of these six, my absolute favorite is Rose’s Christmas Cookies. I can’t recall a Holiday Cookie Tin that has not featured at least one of her cookies.  I was eager to take a sneak peek at her newest book coming out, The Cookie Bible.

See below for the recipe for Lemon Madeleines.

 The Layout

  • Intro – brief description and a memory or an anecdotal story for the cookie.
    Temperature, baking time, and equipment – organized into a table.
    Ingredients – listed in volume and weight measurements also organized in a table, easy to see and follow.
    Directions
  • Mise en place-steps that need to be done before making the dough ie. taking out butter to soften or bringing eggs to room temp.
  • Making the dough-If a particular cookie can be made in either a food processor or stand mixer, both methods are listed. I love this.  Followed by:
  • Forming cookies
  • Baking cookies
  • Cooling cookies

All her cookbooks are organized this way, meticulous and thorough. It’s like getting a Master Baking class in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Each recipe finishes with Baking Gems, MORE valuable tips, and tweaks!

The Recipes

I flipped through the book to earmark recipes I wanted to try. This is where I felt like the book came up a bit short. The selection of cookies seemed just a bit dated. Today’s cookies include new flavors and spices and eye-catching colors created by using freeze-dried fruits.

Few recipes in this book jumped out at me and shouted MAKE ME!  Quite a few recipes in the book are also in Rose’s Christmas Cookies. Recipes I already make and love like Cloud Cookies, Meltaways, Lion Paws, and Spritz Cookies.  If I didn’t have Rose’s Christmas Cookies I might have been putting Post-Its on those very pages.  Recipes have been scaled back in the new book to yield smaller batches of cookies, a good thing, as it limits how many cookies I can eat.

 

Read through the recipe before making it.  I found this book even more detailed than her older books.  Explicit directions like when to take the butter and eggs out before making the dough or what type of flour to use for each recipe.

If only I had taken my own advice and read the recipe first

I plowed through the first recipe, Dream Chocolate Chip Cookies, only to be stumped when I found I hadn’t added the egg. Turns out that twenty minutes before making the dough, I was supposed to crack the egg into the mixer bowl, add the vanilla, and cover it so it can come to room temp first. The egg should have been in the mixer when I creamed the butter and sugar.

Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines were next up.  Once again, detailed instructions produced a tender sweet-tart Madeleine.  Next time, I would reduce the poppyseeds, a bit too much crunch.  I actually liked them more the next day as the syrup had time to absorb so the cookies weren’t sticky to touch and the tartness had mellowed.

The Verdict

With all that being said. Here is my take. If you do not own a Rose Levy Berenbaum Cookbook, this would absolutely be a lovely addition to your kitchen.  This book will make you a better baker.  Filled with invaluable tips and technique information, it takes that extra step of explaining why specific ingredients and techniques work in a recipe.  Although there isn’t a photo for every cookie in the book, the photos included are gorgeous.

Happy baking!

I reviewed The Cookie Bible via NetGalley

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Lemon Madeleines

From Rose Levy Beranbaum's upcoming book, The Cookie Bible
Course cookies
Cuisine American, French
Keyword easy recipe, leomn poppy seed madeleines, madeleine, rose levy beranbaum
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 24 servings

Ingredients

Oven Temp 350f/175c. Baking Time: 14-15 min for large madeleines Special Equipment: Madeleine molds-lightly coat with baking spray with flour. Disposable pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-1/2 inch pastry tube. 2 baking sheets lined with plastic wrap and lightly coated with nonstick spray.

Batter

  • 8.5 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, unsalted butter 120 grams
  • 2 large eggs 100 grams 1/3 cup plus 1 T, (94ml)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 5ml
  • 2 tablespoons milk 30 grams (30ml)
  • 1 cup bleached cake flour, sifted into the cup and leveled off 100 grams
  • 1/2 cup sugar, preferably superfine 100 grams
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar 5.25 ounces = 150 grams
  • 2 teaspoons loosely packed grated lemon zest 4 grams (from about 2 lemons)
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, optional 19 grams I would use a little less

Lemon Syrup

  • 1/4 cup sugar 50 grams
  • 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained 47 grams

Instructions

Preheat Oven

  • 20 minutes or longer before baking, set oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Set oven to 350°F.

Mise En Place

  • 30 minutes to 1 hour ahead, cut butter into tablespoon-size pieces. Set on the counter to soften.
  • 30 minutes ahead, into a 1 cup/237 ml glass measure with a spout, weigh or measure the eggs. Whisk in vanilla. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set on counter.
  • Wash lemons with dishwashing liquid, rinse, and dry before zesting. Finey grate lemon zest. Freeze any extra for future use.

Make the Batter

  • Add the milk to the egg mixture and whisk it in.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and optional poppy seeds on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides.
  • With the mixer off between additions, add the remaining egg mixture in two parts. Beat after each addition, starting on medium-low speed and gradually raising the speed to medium, then beating on med speed for 30 seconds, to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Pipe the Batter into the Molds

  • Fill the prepared pastry bag about 3/4 full with batter. Pipe the batter into the molds. filling them about 3/4 full (4gms for each mini-mold, 16 gms for large cavity). No need to smooth the batter. Refill the bag as needed.
  • Ok, I didn't pipe I just used two spoons and scooped the batter into the molds.

Bake the Madeleines

  • Bake the mini-madeleines for 10-12 minutes, large ones for 14-15 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the centers comes out completely clean and the madeleines spring back when pressed lightly in the centers. While they are baking, make the lemon syrup.

Make Lemon Syrup (1/3 cup/95gms/79ml)

  • In 1 cup/237ml glass measure with a spout, stir together the sugar and lemon juice. Heat in the microwave just until the sugar is dissolved. (Or use a small sauce pan over medium heat.)

Brush the Medeleines with Syrup, Unmold, and Cool

  • As soon as the madeleines come out of the oven, place the pans on a rack, poke the madeleines all over with a wire tester, and brush it with 1/3 of the syrup.
  • Metal molds, use a toothpick or pin to carefully dislodge them from molds and then invert them onto the prepared cookie sheets (this prevents sticking)
  • Brush madeleines with remaining syrup and allow to cool completely. Let sit for 2 hours for syrup to distribute.
  • STORE: Airtight one layer; room temp, 3 days; refrigerated, 5 days; frozen, 3 months.

Baking Gems

  • Use superfine sugar for the best texture
  • After coating with baking spray with flour, brush molds with pastry brush to remove excess spray to prevent air bubbles from forming in the fluted tops of the madeleines.
  • If you do not have enough molds to bake all at once, chill batter in fridge until ready to use.
  • When done, madeleines will spring back when pressed lightly in the center even before they are done.
Anzac-ly The Delicious Biscuit (Cookie) I Was Looking For

Anzac-ly The Delicious Biscuit (Cookie) I Was Looking For

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Marching orders in hand, I gathered the ingredients to make Anzac Biscuits.   Think Oatmeal Cookie meets Oatcake or Granola Bar…you end up with a biscuit (cookie) that is buttery, sweet-salty, chewy-crispy (are these oxymorons?), and EXTREMELY delicious.

A Brief History On Anzac Biscuits

These tasty biscuits (cookies) can be traced back to World War One and the Australian-New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).  As the story goes, moms and wives sent these biscuits to their soldiers fighting, both as a morale booster and reprieve from the dreary military rations.  Made simply of flour, coconut, oatmeal, Golden Syrup, butter, they were easy to make and tasty.   The end product was a caramel-ly sturdy biscuit that traveled well and lasted a long time.  A welcomed treat from home.

Simplicity At Its Finest

Put this biscuit recipe in your incredibly easy with huge returns file.  Very easy and perfect for little hands helping in the kitchen.  Stir the dry ingredients together in a big bowl (kids love doing this), melt butter with the Golden Syrup on the stove (you do this), add the baking soda mixture to the butter (once again, your job) and add to dry ingredients (kids love to stir and make a mess).  Scoop, bake, and eat!  Easy-peasy.

Tweaks

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s (Goddess of Baking) book, Dorie’s Cookies.

I used a one-eighth cup to portion the dough (could not find my scoop of this size 🤔) which produced cookies a little over 2 inches in diameter.  Use either a #24 or #30 ice cream scoop for bigger biscuits, I would. They’re that good.

Press the dough into a puck-like disc on the baking sheet.  Gives the biscuits a running start to a nice even shape.

If I had baked these cookies for 17-18 minutes, as directed, I’d have lumps of coal for all those naughty kids at Christmas.  The first batch baked for 14 minutes at 325 degrees, which produced deep golden brown cookies with dark edges.  The second batch baked at 320 degrees for 13 minutes.  The biscuits were deep brown, carrot cake color without the dark edges.  If you like a chewier, lighter-colored cookie, reduce the baking time, personally not recommended.  If you make larger cookies, adjust baking times accordingly.

Subbing honey or corn syrup for Lyle’s Golden Syrup can be done in a pinch.  But if you can, please try to use Lyle’s Golden Syrup.  It is made from sugar cane and has a nuanced caramel flavor you won’t get with honey or corn syrup.  Lots of larger grocery stores carry Lyle’s or you can order it on Big Bad Amazon.  Don’t confuse their Dessert Syrup for the Original Cane Syrup, that’s like Log Cabin to real Maple Syrup.

These biscuits are incredibly tasty and easy to make, put them on your “biscuit” bucket list.

P.S.

Not all these biscuits came out perfectly round as pictured, lol.  As soon as they came out of the oven, I placed a glass over the not-so-round ones and swirled it in a circular motion thereby jostling the cookies into perfect rounds.  Tricks of the trade, babee.

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5 from 2 votes

ANZAC Biscuits

Iconic Austrailian-New Zealand Biscuit (cookie) created during WW1, recipe adapted from Dorie's Cookies
Course biscuits, cookies
Cuisine Australian
Keyword Anzac Biscuits, Anzacs, Dorie Greenspan, Lyle's Golden Syrup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup AP flour 136 grams
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 80 grams
  • 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut 90 grams
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar or additional granulated sugar 50gms * Not in Dorie's recipe! Add if using unsweetened coconut, omit if you like,

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter, Dorie's recipe uses sea salt, I thought it was a touch salty.
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
  • 2 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup

Leavening Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon boiling water
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, coconut, sugars, and salt and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat melt the butter with the Golden Syrup and remove from heat.
  • Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a small bowl to dissolve the baking soda.
  • Pour the water and baking soda into the butter mixture and stir to combine.
  • Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
  • Use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop to mold each cookie by gently packing dough into ice cream scoop and then turning out onto cookie sheet or form 1 1/2-inch balls of the dough with spoons)
  • Place cookies 1-2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 17-18 minutes* or until deep golden brown (the color of carrot cake). Makes 16-18 cookies.
    *Read my post regarding baking times!

Notes

These cookies should be a nice rich deep brown.  Meant to be a little dense and crispy as they historically needed to travel well.  For a chewier cookie, a little less baking time will do the trick, if that is what you like.  It won't have as much of that nice caramel flavor you get from browning but still tasty!
Chew On This! Toasted Sesame Cookies

Chew On This! Toasted Sesame Cookies

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How’s the New Year’s Resolution thing going?  I’ve gotten strategic, I only make new year’s resolutions that are fun.  That way I stand a chance of actually following through on them.  One of my perpetual resolutions is to make a concerted effort to actually use the many cookbooks I have collected.  Don’t laugh, it may not sound like a resolution but it is.

Olympic Medal goes to….these cookies!

Last night, sitting on the couch, watching Chloe Kim and Nathan Chen do their thing, and flipping through a cookbook (I can multi-task) I wondered (out loud, unfortunately) how many cookbooks I have that I haven’t ever used.  The hubs laughed and said TOO MANY.

The laugh was pure motivation.  I got up, went to the kitchen, pulled out Jesse Szewczyk’s Cookies: The New Classics, and picked his recipe for Chewy Toasted Sesame Cookies.  Sooo making these now, before my resolve fades or I get distracted by Nathan Chen’s final routine.

So glad I did.  These cookies are delectable!  As much as I love SHORTBREAD type cookies, it was time to go back to fam-fav chewy cookies.  These did the trick. Chewy centers, a bit of crispness on the edges….yum, yum.

Not to say I wasn’t happy.  My current OBSESSION is sesame.  Jesse uses toasted sesame oil in these cookies, which ups the flavor game. Sesame oil, sesame seeds…win, win.

These cookies are pretty easy to make…think Snickerdoodle method. Make the dough, chill it, roll it into balls. Roll said balls in black and white toasted sesames, hit it with some sugar, bake and EAT or in my case, inhale.  Really, that good.

If this cookie is any indication…I will be baking a lot out of his book!

Seeds of Sesame Tips

It may seem fussy, I am sure it was a texture chase, the recipe calls for not only butter, but cream cheese, and oil.  A balancing act to make a moist, chewy, soft cookie with a bit of crispness on the edges.

Sesame Oil, Sesame Seeds

You want TOASTED Sesame oil which can be found easily in Asian markets.  The French brand, La Tourangelle makes a tosted sesame oil that is very good.  It’s a little pricier but generally can be found in your larger grocery stores.  I buy toasted sesame seeds at the Asian markets because I go through the stuff in no time flat.  You can buy untoasted seeds and toast them yourself if roasted seeds are not available.

I was able to form the just-made dough into round balls even though it was pretty soft.  But if you chill the dough for 30-60 minutes, makes it easier to work with.

Best thing since sliced bread, ice cream scoops for cookie dough….just saying. I used a 1.6 tablespoon scoop (#40) and sprinkled each cookie with regular granulated sugar.  Raw or Demerara Sugar would work well too.  Baking time was 11 minutes.  The cookies will puff up but fall and create those neat fissures as they cool.

The hubs is not a fan of sesame seeds so I actually baked a couple that I rolled in chocolate sprinkles.  I nixed his request for raisins (Ewww).  The sprinkles were a hit.  Honestly, this dough is so tasty, it would be good rolled in anything…except raisins.

Put these on your bucket list…like now.

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5 from 1 vote

Chewy Toasted Sesame Cookies

A delicious, chewy, buttery, sesame cookie from Jesse Szewczyk's Cookies: The New Classics.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Chewy Toasted Sesame Cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 1 #40 ice cream scoop If you don't have one, spoon out 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into round balls.

Ingredients

Dry Stuff

  • 21/2 cups All purpose flour (320gms)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt reg table salt, use 1/8 teaspoon

Fat Stuff

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (85gms) leave the butter on your counter for a couple of hours approximate temp 68 degrees
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temp (57 gms)
  • 1 tablespoon TOASTED sesame oil see post for notes on oil
  • 1/4 cup canola oil (60ml)

The Sweet Stuff

  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200gms)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (100gms)

Wet Stuff

  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk (30ml)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

The Finishing Touches

  • 1/3 cup toasted white sesame seeds
  • 1/3 cup toasted black sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I'm a stickler, I bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven. To bake two sheets at a time, set your oven racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions of your oven. Line sheets with parchment or Silpat. Preference is for parchment as silicon mats retain more heat.
  • In a medium bowl, combine dry stuff, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, toss in the fats, (butter, cream cheese, sesame oil, canola oil), and sweet stuff granulated sugar, brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fully blended, about 2 minutes.
  • Turn mixer off and add the wet stuff. Beat on medium speed until light and ribbon-like, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Turn mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, mix until just blended, don't overmix. Rest dough for 10 minutes, it will firm up a bit. If it seems to soft still, chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Using a 1-3/4 inch ice cream scoop (~2 tablespoons), form dough balls, hand- roll each to create smooth round balls.
  • Combine sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Roll each dough ball in the sesame seeds and place them on parchment-lined sheets 2-1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, turning sheet midway through baking. Bake until golden brown on the edges. Cool cookies on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

Store in an airtight container.
Old School Almond Cookies

Old School Almond Cookies

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Growing up in Chinatown the standard plate of cookies found on our table was not Chocolate Chip Cookies, but Almond Cookies.  Found in every Chinese Bakery, these were my favorite cookie, well except for the almond in the center, which I ate around, kids, what do you do.

Phoenix Bakery

Last Roadtrip

One of my favorite Almond Cookies comes from Phoenix Bakery in Los Angeles Chinatown.  It’s been there a long time, three generations of the Chan family (hopefully there is a fourth generation) cranking out cookies and cakes.  Theirs is the quintessential Almond Cookie, crumbly not crisp, nutty, dense but not tough, and distinctly almond-flavored. Growing up, every family trip to Los Angeles included the prerequisite stop at Phoenix Bakery for those pink boxes filled with almond cookies and sweet, sticky butterfly cookies. Right before COVID hit, I drove down to LA for my favorite auntie’s birthday and of course, I stopped at Phoenix Bakery.

An Homage

Every Christmas my brother-in-law’s mother baked boxes and boxes (pink cake boxes of course) of cookies.  We were one of the lucky recipients.  My favorite, her almond cookie. With that first bite, I was transported back to the Chinatown of my childhood.

As a testament to how much I like Almond Cookies, I have multiple almond cookies on 3Jamigos.  The first time I wrote about Mrs. F’s Almond Cookies, I actually included the Almond Cookie recipe from B’s Patisserie in San Francisco.  It’s a luscious almond cookie, buttery, crispy, filled with almond flavor, delicious in its own right, but texturally different from the classic Chinatown Almond Cookie.

Finally, Mrs. F’s Almond Cookies

Why didn’t I make Mrs. F’s cookies from the get-go? Embarrassingly, I had misplaced her recipe.  After an all-out hunt, I finally found it (or did I ask my brother-in-law?).  Well, bottom line, I have it now my little duckies.

After the first batch, I tinkered with the recipe just a little.  The cookies texturally were spot on.   Here is the secret, the texture comes from using lard or shortening.  Yep, no butter in these bad boys.  Hmmm…butter-flavored shortening?  Why not.  This was my inaugural use of butter-flavored Crisco in place of regular shortening.  Judging by the response to these cookies, it worked!  If you have an aversion to butter-flavored shortening, use regular shortening.  If and when I try lard I will report back.  I have no problems using lard, it’s more of an access issue.  I prefer leaf lard which is less processed than the stuff in supermarkets.

Shortening is easy to work with and inherently a little softer than butter. I keep my shortening in the fridge. Beat the dough until light and fluffy 2-3 minutes before adding dry ingredients.

Let’s Go Nutty

The other tweak MORE almond flavor.  I upped the amount of almond extract cause in my book, you can never have too much almond flavor. JK, but I did think the cookies benefitted from a smidge more.

Year of the Tiger

Don’t think cookie season is over!  Chinese New Year is right around the corner and these would be purr-fect in an assortment of goodies to ring in the Year of the Tiger!

Part of the Holiday Cookie Parade
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Almond Cookies -like the ones in Chinatown!

This recipe was generously shared with me by my brother-in-law's family. Made with lard or shortening, these are the quintessential Chinese Almond Cookies found in Chinatown bakeries and restaurants. Crumbly, almond-forward, delicious
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Chinatown Almond Cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 5 cups sifted flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Shortening, either reg or butter-flavored 40T (35 T will do)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 1.5 tsp almond extract Use up to 2 tsp
  • 1/4 tsp potassium carbonate liquid or 1/4 t baking soda

Finishing Touches

  • 1 egg beaten for egg wash
  • almond halves or sesame seeds garnish

Instructions

  • Combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
  • Cream shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add egg and blend thoroughly. Add almond extract and k+Co3 and blend well.
  • Gradually add flour and stir until well combined. Form round balls (size of small walnut, I use a 1 tablespoon+ ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. At this point, if the dough seems a little soft, chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes.
  • Using a flat bottom glass, dip in a little bit of flour and press dough flat on a cookie sheet to about 1/2 inch thickness. Leave about 1.5 inches between cookies. Brush each cookie with egg wash. Place almond or sesame seeds centered on top.
  • Bake 350 degrees 15 minutes or until slightly golden in color.

Notes

The recipe is easily halved.  A large beaten egg is approximately 3.25 tablespoons, use half for the dough and half for the egg wash.  You have some play with the amount of egg in the dough. I have used a whole large egg in a half recipe and it turns out fine, the cookie is just a bit more fragile. I'd use a small egg in a half recipe.
I like the butter-flavored Crisco in the cookie. Gives a bit more flavor without sacrificing the texture of the cookie.
 
 
M&M Cookies For the Kid In You (Day 2)

M&M Cookies For the Kid In You (Day 2)

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Cookie Number Two-Twelve Days of Cookies

Last year my absolute favorite cookie was Eric Kim’s Grocery Store Cookie.  I called it my Marie Kondo cookie, it brought me JOY.  The original Lofthouse cookies, a cakey blob, packed in plastic trays covered with copious amounts of fake frosting and sprinkles…elevated to a wondrously delicious cakelike, buttery, tender cookie topped with raspberry buttercream frosting.  The only thing the two cookies had in common was the SPRINKLES.

Guess which one is the Grocery Store Cookie?

As soon as NYTcooking posted this year’s Holiday Cookies, I looked for Eric’s cookie.  It wasn’t hard to find, his was first on the list.  For the kid in all of us, Eric developed a recipe for festive M&M Cookies. (Bonus: Video of Eric making these!)  Simple, nostalgic and YUMMY.  A hint of crispiness on the edge, surrounding a chewy cookie dotted with M&Ms.  The M&M’s are cut into pieces so you get this really nice distribution of the candy coating and chocolate center.  With the first bite, I was transported back to my 9-year-old self.

M&Ms aren’t easy to cut and not bounce around! My dough bowl and mezzaluna came in handy!

Cookie Workout

The cookies can be made with one bowl, whisk, and spatula (or wooden spoon) with the caveat that you start with soft butter (not melted) butter.  If you have a thermometer, it’s around 65-68 degrees.  You will also need some arm power as the recipe calls for beating the mixture for one minute to smooth and fluffy.  One minute, whisking a dough by hand is pretty long. Opt for your mixer unless you haven’t done your workout for the day.

Geeking Out

The baked cookies ended up with crevices that weren’t apparent in Eric’s batch.  I have a theory, I chilled my dough overnight which meant the dough was pretty cold, the butter had solidified and the dough had additional time to hydrate.  The chilled dough is a tad more resistant to spreading and collapsing thus creating fissures.  Here’s a great geek article on chilling your dough from Buzz Feed.  Next time I’ll bake them off with just a short chilling time to see if they don’t develop cracks.  I don’t think it impacted the flavor or texture too much.  If you try different M&Ms please leave a comment! I think it would be amazing with peanut M&Ms or almond M&Ms.

I like these, I LOVE the Grocery Store Cookie. I’ll be making both for the holidays.

So, make these cookies, pour yourself an ice-cold glass of milk, grab a cookie and enjoy the holidays.  I’m going to watch BIG, the perfect movie to go with these cookies!

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M&M Cookies by Eric Kim

Straight back to childhood, M7M Cookies, are chewy and a delight to eat.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Almond Cookies, ERic KIm, M&M Cookies, NYTcooking
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter very soft
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • ¼ packed cup (57 grams )dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal or ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups (185 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (96 grams) M&M’s

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and salt by hand until smooth and fluffy, at least 1 minute.
    Whisk in the baking soda, then switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the flour, then carefully and coarsely chop the M&M's, and add them, too. Gently stir to combine. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you wait for the oven to finish heating.
  • Using two spoons or a cookie scoop, plop out 2-tablespoon/50-gram rounds spaced a couple of inches apart on the sheet pans. (You should get about 8 cookies per pan.) Bake until lightly golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheet pan; they will continue to cook as they sit.

Notes

If you really want to use your ixer.  The key is not to overmix.  On a Kitchen-aid when making cookies I rarely go above setting 4 (medium) when mixing cookie dough.  YOu don't need turbo which would increase the chance of overbeating.
YOu might want to fold in the flour and M&Ms to avoid overmixing.  If not, set mixer to stir and mix until you don't see any flour and stop.  Finish it off with a spatula.
Pao de Queijo (Jeremy’s Cheese Bread-Food from the Heart)

Pao de Queijo (Jeremy’s Cheese Bread-Food from the Heart)

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Earlier in the year as I was clicking through my Instagram, perusing what my favorite bloggers and IGers were up to, I landed on Two Red Bowls.  A black and white photo of a young man hugging Luke, her son, and Luke gazing up at him. It was and is a beautiful photo. As I read her post, my chest tightened and my heart sank, the young man was her brother, Luke’s uncle, who had just passed away from colon cancer, far too young. It was so sad and so brave of her to share this with us, strangers, who feel a connection to her through her beautiful writing and wonderful recipes.

A few months later she posted a recipe for Pao de queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread. This was her brother’s contribution to holiday feasts.  She described how he made these savory bites in the afternoon for everyone to enjoy while prepping for the evening feast.

I made a mental note to make his Pao de queijo for Thanksgiving. I did, and as I watched my family gobble them up, I hoped her family was also together for Thanksgiving and finding comfort in the shared memories of her brother.

How to describe Pao de queijo?  They look like Gougeres, those airy, light, cheesy, French puffs. The KEY difference is these puffs are made with tapioca flour which gives them an elastic, stretchy quality, kind of like mochi.

Let’s Starch Here

These puffs are incredibly easy and quick to make. I did a little sleuthing for background on these savory Brazilian morsels. Recipes called for Tapioca Starch or Cassava Flour.  Both forms come from the cassava plant, cassava flour uses the entire root while tapioca is only the pulp and therefore contains very little protein or fiber. This recipe calls for tapioca starch or flour (same thing) not cassava flour.  Bob’s Red Mill offers a Tapioca Flour and most Asian markets carry multiple brands of Tapioca Starch/Flour. Bonus, it is gluten-free!

Traditional recipes for Pao de queijo call for heating up the liquids and then adding the starch which becomes a dough that is kneaded and formed into balls before baking.  This recipe is an easy but no less delicious version.

Throw all the ingredients, sans cheese, in a blender and pulse to combine.  The tricky part is the tapioca flour which gets gooey really fast.  Add your tapioca flour after putting at least some of the liquids in the blender.  Blend well.

Say Cheese

Add the shredded cheese last.  Pulse the blender a couple of times and you are done.  Don’t pulverize the cheese.  I like the combination of Parmesan and Mozzarella, it provides a nice balance of flavor and texture.  Use any cheese you like, cheddar, pepper jack, Farmer Cheese.  Adjust for the saltiness of your cheese.

Pour the batter into mini-muffin tins, it reminds me of making popovers.  It should be just the right amount of batter to fill the 24 cups equally.  Watch them rise as they bake.  Serve immediately.  I plan to make a batch for Christmas too.

I made a batch with butter just to satisfy my “butter is better” mantra.  Straight substitution, 1/4 cup melted butter for 1/4 cup oil. I added 1 tsp of oil (very arbitrary) since butter is 80/20 fat to water.  I warmed the milk a little (not hot) to keep the butter from solidifying.   The puffs turned out fine, they seemed a little heavier than the all-oil batch.  The butter did give the puffs a fuller flavor (built-in butter bias perhaps). Your choice. Whatever you do, make them, they’re lovely.

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JEREMY’S CHEESE BREAD (PAO DE QUEIJO) Two Red Bowls

Brazilian cheese bread made with tapioca flour. Stretchy and cheesy, the perfect munchie.
Course Breads
Cuisine Latin America
Keyword Brazillian, cheese bread, Pao de Queijo
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Equipment

  • mini-muffin tin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (125 gram) tapioca flour or tapioca starch
  • ½ cup whole milk or milk of your choice
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil or unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup about 2 ounce shredded cheese of your choice (Parmesan and mozzarella or Farmer's Cheese or blend of cheeses)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 24-well mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.
  • In a blender, combine the flour, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and salt. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, about a minute or so. Add the cheese and pulse once or twice more, until just combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the greased mini-muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Baking for less time will give stretchier, chewier rolls, and more will give a crispier exterior. Serve warm. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated at 400 for 5 minutes.

Notes

Using a blender helps fully emulsify and aerate the batter, especially as the tapioca flour has a cornstarch-y consistency that can be difficult to mix by hand. YOu could probably use a handheld blender or food processor.
Try different cheeses, cheddar, or Monterey Jack, Farmer's Cheese.
Replace a few tablespoons of the milk with sweetened condensed milk which nicely complements the tapioca flour’s natural sweetness. But keep the amount of egg and oil the same, as that can affect how well the puffs rise and hold their shape.

May your holidays be filled with love and laughter shared with family and friends.
Lasso Some Biscuits From Milk Bar (Ted Lasso Biscuits)

Lasso Some Biscuits From Milk Bar (Ted Lasso Biscuits)

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Yes, you are not seeing double, this is a different recipe for Ted Lasso’s biscuits! AND it’s a good one.  I am a Johnny come lately to Ted Lasso having ignored the initial buzz about the show until…

Biscuits with the Boss

…recipes and articles started popping up on the internet for Ted’s Biscuits.  That’s when I took notice.  The show is funny, endearing, cute, and a bit bawdy, just the escape we all need.  All that and biscuits, made it irresistible.

It seemed only fair that I try the “official” Ted Lasso Biscuit from Apple TV first.  The biscuits had a smooth texture, were a bit crumbly and not too sweet.  The second day brought out the buttery flavor making this a very respectable shortbread biscuit. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I would make these again, say, if I didn’t have eggs for Christina Tosi’s version or if I wanted an easier, simpler, cookie.

I have been a fan of Christina Tosi for a long, long times since her days at Momofuku.  Her Corn Cookies, Crack Pie and Compost Cookies are iconic.  Soooo, when she posted her version of Ted’s Biscuits, yeah, I ran not walked  to my kitchen and got busy.

Tosi’s version is more typical of a shortbread recipe, beat the butter and sugar just until smooth and creamy, not fluffy.  Atypical are the addition of egg yolks to the batter.  This adds fat and moisture to the cookies making them softer, moister than shortbread.  The powdered sugar lowers the protein for a tender cookie.  Adding a touch of brown sugar gives the cookie a caramel finish.  The cookie is rich, buttery, with a super fine, tight crumb almost like a dense pound cake.

The addition of egg yolks makes for a soft dough. Try not to overmix dough, I stopped mixing once the dough starting clumping.  Press the dough into the pan.  You can dampen your hand which helps with the stickiness.  Use an offset spatula to smooth the top.

It isn’t necessary to line the pan with parchment, but I did, it’s easier to remove from the pan.  The baking temperature varied on different sites between 315 and 325 degrees.  At 325 degrees, the cookies were ready in 35 minutes.  Force of habit, I docked the dough with a fork for even baking. Unlike traditional shortbread, during baking, the holes disappeared, probably due to the egg yolks.  Docking shortbread allows steam to escape, no bubbles, and even baking, is it necessary with this recipe, not sure.

During baking, the top of the dough forms a shiny, golden brown layer, the edges will be a deeper brown.  Completely cool the cookies before cutting.  The texture is soft, and cutting was not a problem.  Cut cookies out to desired size and shape, rectangle or square.  I divided the dough into 3 then cut each third into 8-9 rectangular cookies.  Perfect pink box size.  Make these cookies now.

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Ted Lasso Biscuits

Christina Tosi’s version of Ted Lasso Biscuits. It’s a winner!
Course bar cookies, cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword biscuits, Shortbread, ted lasso
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks softened
  • 1 ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 ¾ cup All purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp scant kosher salt

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 325F Line a 8x8” baking dish with parchment, grease pan
  • Using a mixer, beat butter, sugars and salt together on medium speed until smooth and creamy
  • Stir in the egg yolks
  • Add the flour and mix just until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix.
  • Press dough into an even layer in the pan. The dough will be sticky, dampen hands (just a bit) to press dough in. Spread and level dough with an offset spatula. Dock dough with a fork 2 inches apart.
  • Bake at 325F for 35 minutes or until a thin, golden brown layer forms on top.
  • Cool completely before cutting into 3 rows. Cut each row into 8 pieces.

Notes

Can be baked at 315 degrees for 45 min  or until golden brown
“Lassoed” Into Making “Biscuits” (Shortbread)

“Lassoed” Into Making “Biscuits” (Shortbread)

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In the Queen’s Language, Cookies are Biscuits

I LOVE Shortbread cookies and have quite a few recipes on 3jamigos that are shortbread-centric.  I live by the motto “more butter, more better”.   Food52 shared the recipe for biscuits from the Ted Lasso show, of course I made them. It was a no-brainer, an automatic cookie bucket list entry.  In fact, it was The “biscuits” that enticed me to watch the show.  Up to that point, Ted Lasso was not even on my radar despite friends and family buzzing about it.   Well, I started watching Ted Lasso and the buzz is justified.  Optimistic, empathetic, decent and endearing, qualities we seemed to be in short supply of these days.  Ted Lasso is the perfect escape and the biscuits are pretty darn good too.

The Premise

American football coach goes to England to coach FOOTBALL. LOL

Biscuits with the Boss

Each day Ted brings a box of biscuits (cookies) to his boss, Rebecca.  A  tiny pink box filled with buttery goodness.  Scrumptious biscuits, solid acting, a funny storyline, and Jason Sudekis, 🍿🍿🍿🍿.

The recipe is the “official one” provided by Apple TV, the distributor of Ted Lasso.  There are other “me too” recipes out there (that of course I am going to try) like Christina Tosi’s version, but I figured this was a good place to start. These are essentially shortbread cookies.  Did I like them?  Yes.  Do I think they are the be-all-end-all?  Probably not.

My absolute favorite Shortbread is from an essay in Cuisine Magazine (sadly gone), “My Father’s Shortbread”.   A Classic Scottish Shortbread–buttery, sandy texture, nice crumb, melts in your mouth and yet has some substance to the bite.  It is the cornerstone of every holiday box of cookies we give out at Christmas. It is my be-all-end-all shortbread.

My second favorite is Bouchon’s Shortbread, tender, melt in your mouth, screams butter.  It is a beautiful cookie.  A little sweeter from the dusting of sanding sugar on the cookie.

Back to Ted

Don’t get me wrong.  I will make Ted’s Biscuits again.  They have a smoother texture than classic shortbread and a softer bite.  I’m guessing it has to do with beating the butter much longer than the other shortbread recipes, the addition of powdered sugar and baking at a higher temperature than classic shortbread.  The crumb is much more uniform so you don’t get that same sandy texture.

The cookies are baked in an 8 inch pan and cut after they are cooled.  Start checking at about 40 minutes during baking.  My batch turned a nice golden brown at 45 minutes.  Cool cookies on a rack.  The cookies are cut after they cool.  Use a sharp serrated knife to keep the cuts clean and minimize breaking.  I’m not sure why they aren’t cut warm, I might try that next time.

The cookie tastes better the next day, the butter flavor shines when given the chance to sit.  Patience has its rewards.

So if you are sitting down to watch Ted Lasso, make a batch of any of these biscuits.  It will make the show that much more fun and enjoyable.  If you are like Ted, have a cup of coffee not a cup of garbage water (according to Ted).  Me, I would love a steaming hot cup of tea.

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Ted Lasso's Biscuits (Shortbread)

Ted’s a simple man as are his biscuits. A classic, buttery shortbread.
Course biscuits, cookies
Cuisine American, European
Keyword butter, cookies, Shortbread, ted lasso
Prep Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Sanding sugar optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 300℉
  • Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and set it aside
  • Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter for three to five minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar.
  • Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
  • Press into baking pan, keeping the dough as even as possible. I use an offset spatula and a tamper to even out the dough. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
  • Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it looks golden-brown but is still a little soft to the touch. Take the pan out of the oven. Sprinkle with sanding sugar now if using. Let it cool completely on a rack before cutting them.
  • Remove from pan and use a serrated knife to cut slices to the dimensions you like. Ted cut his into squares, I cut mine into rectangle shape like Walker Shortbread. Go find some cute pink boxes too!