Category: Food
Salted Butter & Chocolate Chunk Shortbread (New Year’s Resolution #2: Finish 12 Days of Cookies)

Salted Butter & Chocolate Chunk Shortbread (New Year’s Resolution #2: Finish 12 Days of Cookies)

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Let’s get the apology over with first. Yikes, I wasn’t able to complete my 12 days of cookies. I started early, had help from Jamie and still came up short. Shouldn’t make excuses BUT, I am going to.  A family trip to Vegas is the clear winner of excuses and reasons why I stumbled. Of course, if I included cookies sampled at Bouchon in Vegas, I would have easily made 12, but not quite within the rules.  Second, a faulty oven. When the oven takes over 45 minutes just to reach 325 degrees, Houston, we have a problem. The last time my oven went on the fritz (a few years ago), I was baking Thanksgiving pies. Now that was a disaster.

BUT, I am determined to complete the list, after all, cookies can be made and enjoyed year around. So, without further ado…
#7 of the 12 Days of Cookies: Salted Butter & Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

After seeing this cookie pop up on various sites and blogs I knew it was destined for the 12 Days of Cookies list.  The recipe comes from the book Dining In by Alison Roman (what do you know, I am not buying this book-have I turned a new leaf? Nope, it is currently out of stock). This was a no-brainer.  Butter. Chocolate. Shortbread.  Like I was going to be able to ignore this recipe.

This is a slice and bake cookie, my favorite kind of cookie.  You can make the dough in advance and bake off as few or as many cookies as you like. You can freeze some of the dough for a rainy day, which in California, might not happen for awhile.

The dough was a bit crumbly straight out of the mixer so I kneaded it a couple of times until it came together.  Shape the dough into logs using parchment paper. Form the dough roughly into a log on the parchment, fold parchment over the log, and with a straight edge (ruler) placed up against the log on top of the parchment, gently pull the bottom piece of parchment while pushing the straight edge into the dough. This creates a round log. Wrap each log in the parchment and slide into a round tube (I use 3-inch diameter PVC pipe) and chill in the fridge.

You can use raw turbinado sugar for the Demerara Sugar.  Don’t skip this step as it adds a nice crunch to the cookie. I would use semi-sweet chocolate which results in a sweeter cookie.  There is quite a bit of chocolate in this cookie which can make slicing the dough a bit tricky.  It’s okay if it crumbles when cut, just smoosh the dough back together, it will bake up fine.

An utterly delicious cookie, buttery, sandy, chocolatety (my new word), and sweet with a surprise pop of salt.  It hits every taste sensation, and if that wasn’t enough, a crispy edge from the demerara sugar.  Cookie Heaven.  The keys to this cookie are salted butter, a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel, an edge of Demerara Sugar and of course CHOCOLATE chunks.  Hmmmmmm.

I made a batch for a friend’s New Year’s Eve Party, but unfortunately, I was too tired to attend.  I ended up in my jammies, on the couch, ringing in the New Year with a glass of milk in one hand and a cookie in the other and then promptly fell asleep.  Oh well, there is always next year.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Dilemma-A bit of bubbly or milk?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Salted Butter & Chocolate Chunk Shortbread) New Year’s Resolution #2 Finish 12 Days of Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons 2 1/4 sticks salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 ounces semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate chopped (but not too fine, you want chunks)
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • Demerara sugar for rolling
  • Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

  • The cookie dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer. Cookies can be baked and stored in plastic wrap or an airtight container for 5 days.
  • 1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • 2. Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars, and vanilla on medium-high till it’s super light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.
  • 3. Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. You can also do this using parchment paper, if you prefer, but I find using plastic wrap easier when it comes to shaping the log. Each half should form two logs 2 to 2 1/4 inches in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.
  • 4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • 5. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the Demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).
  • 6. Slice each log into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, place them on the prepared baking sheet(s) about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much), and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
Mushroom Bourguignon (New Year’s Resolution #1)

Mushroom Bourguignon (New Year’s Resolution #1)

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I have a bucket list of New Year’s resolutions this year. Resolution #1, “EAT MORE VEGGIES and less meat”. This is going to be EASY and I am going to be a BOSS and slay this resolution. Why? Recipes like Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Bourguignon, that’s why.  It’s hearty, warming, a great stand-in for stews and it takes a fraction of the time to make as it doesn’t contain any meat.  I have been eyeing this recipe for quite awhile so with the cooler weather and my new year’s resolution it was definitely “fun”-ghi time.

Where’s the beef!? Sorry Sammy, you’re looking in all the wrong places

I decided to serve the mushrooms over a bed of creamy polenta, others have opted for noodles which looks equally delicious.  I’m a sucker for polenta or grits. When I was a kid I was a Cream of Wheat/Malto-meal fan whereas the rest of my family fell into the Quaker Oats oatmeal camp.  It’s a textural thing I guess, that and I loved the Cream of Wheat commercials, “Come in from the Cold”.

I used cremini mushrooms although I think a mushroom medley would work beautifully.  Next time I make this dish I think I’ll throw in shiitake mushrooms and portabellos to give it a meatier taste and texture.  Not being a strict vegetarian I opted for beef broth for the stock but feel free to use a vegetable broth. I’m also wondering if a little fish sauce (thank you Kenji Alt-Lopez) would up the umami factor for us omnivores.  I will let you know!

So 2018 resolution #1 gets a running start thanks to Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Bourguignon.  Next on my list? Cauliflower Steak and Puree from Genius Recipe.  Let the Veggie Times Roll.

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(Mushroom Bourguignon) New Year’s Resolutions

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons 30 ml olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons 30 grams butter, softened
  • 2 pounds 905 grams Portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (you can use cremini instead or a medley of mushrooms)
  • 1 cup 115 grams pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
  • 1/2 carrot finely diced
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Table salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup 235 ml full-bodied red wine
  • 2 tablespoons 35 grams tomato paste
  • 2 cups 475 ml beef or vegetable stock (beef broth is traditional, but use vegetable to make it vegetarian; the dish works with either)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons 12 grams all-purpose flour
  • Egg noodles for serving also goes well with polenta or grits
  • Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • 1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium-sized Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms and pearl onions until they begin to take on a little color— your mushrooms will make a delightful “squeak- squeak” as they’re pushed around the hot pan— but the mushrooms do not yet release any liquid, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan and set aside.
  • 2. Lower the flame to medium, and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrot, onion, thyme, a few good pinches of salt, and several grinds of black pepper in the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, and cook for just 1 more minute. Season with more salt and pepper.
  • 3. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the stock. Add back the mushrooms and pearl onions with any juices that have collected, and bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the temperature so it simmers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until both the mushrooms and onions are very tender.
  • 4. Combine the flour and the remaining butter with a fork; stir this into the stew. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to a “coating” consistency. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
  • 5. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles (polenta or grits would work well), dollop with sour cream, if using, and sprinkle with optional chives or parsley.
  • Do ahead: The mushroom stew reheats very well on the second and third days, in a large saucepan over low heat.
Soft Gingerbread Tiles with Rum Butter Glaze: Day 6, 12 Days of Cookies!

Soft Gingerbread Tiles with Rum Butter Glaze: Day 6, 12 Days of Cookies!

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My kitchen gadget addiction got the best of me yet again. The culprit? A beautiful holiday cookie from Ottolenghi’s latest book, Sweet, Soft Gingerbread Tiles with Rum Butter Glaze. The cookies are made with either an embossed rolling pin (which I purchased to make graham crackers not so long ago) or cookie stamps holiday or all season, which I had to have.  After my cookie stamps arrived I immediately set out to make these.

Soft Gingerbread Tiles

The dough is a snap to make. The aroma that filled my kitchen while they baked made me smile. The cookies are soft, cakey and spicy.  Just like a classic gingerbread cookie.

The recipe calls for blackstrap molasses which is the last extraction of sugar from sugarcane.  It’s pretty bitter.  The first extraction produces cane syrup (like Golden Syrup), the next produces molasses and the final extraction, with even less sugar left, produces blackstrap molasses.  I wanted to be faithful to the recipe so I used blackstrap molasses.  The cookies are not very sweet at all. I learned that regular molasses is about 70% sugar whereas blackstrap is about 40%, BIG difference.  I plan on trying this recipe with both cane syrup and regular molasses just for the added sweetness.

The most difficult part of the recipe is stamping the cookies.  During baking, the cookies will rise and the pattern blurs a bit so be sure to press the cookies well so the imprint is really bold and defined in the dough.

I tried two methods for stamping the cookies. For the first method, the dough is rolled into a sheet about 1/4 inch thick, stamped and cut out with a round cookie cutter.  For the second method, the do/ugh is rolled into a ball (about 1.5-2 tablespoons of dough) which is then pressed with the stamp to create a cookie.  Both methods worked well.

I love the rum butter glaze. It was really easy to put together and added a sheen and sweetness/flavor to the cookie.  Though I brushed the glaze on, I think dipping the cookie or spreading the glaze with a spatula would make a nicer finish.  The cookie does need to be warm when glazing.

These cookies are a showstopper.  I can’t wait to bake another batch.

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Gingerbread Tiles with Butter Rum Icing: Day 6, 12 Days of Cookies!

A delicious and festive gingerbread with rum glaze from Ottolenghi
Course cookies, sweets
Cuisine American, British
Keyword gingerbread, holidays, ottolenghi, Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Dough: Da Wet Mix

  • 6 tbsp 85 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 packed cup plus 2 tbsp 90 g dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup 100 g blackstrap molasses (can substitute golden syrup or reg molasses 1:1 for sweeter cookie)
  • 1 large egg yolk*

Da Dry MIx

  • 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (235 gms) plus extra for pressing
  • 1 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Rum-Butter Glaze:

  • 2/3 cup 80 g confectioners' sugar
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp 15 g unsalted butter, melted and warm
  • 1 tbsp dark rum or lemon juice
  • 1 tsp warm water

*On Food52 it was suggested to use extra-large egg yolk or add 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon of water to dough if it doesn't come together. I added about 1 teaspoon water. It won't come together until you knead it). Makes 12–14 depending on the size of stamp and cutter

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
  • Place the butter, sugar and molasses in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place.
  • Beat on medium speed until smooth and incorporated. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat until fully combined.
  • Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper into a bowl. Turn the speed of the mixer to low, and add the dry ingredients to the butter and molasses. Once the mix comes together, tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Forming Cookies: Rolling dough

  • Roll out the dough so that it is about 1/4 inch/ 0.5 cm thick. If the dough is very soft, you will need to chill it.*
  • Dip cookie stamp in a small bowl of flour, shake off any excess, then press them firmly into the dough, one at a time to create a deep imprint. How far you need to press to get an imprint will depend on your stamp; the patterns on some are more deeply cut than others. Bear in mind that the cookies rise a little when cooked, so any soft imprints will disappear.
  • Using a round cookie cutter that is slightly larger than the pattern, cut out the pieces of imprinted gingerbread. Transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheets, spaced about 3/4 inch/2 cm apart. Reroll the dough and continue to stamp and cut cookies until all the dough is used up.

Stamping Cookies: No Rolling

  • I also tried instructions from the cookie stamps, roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and flatten with cookie stamp. With both methods, make sure you press firmly enough to create a bold definite pattern in dough!
  • Bake for 9–10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until firm to the touch. They will continue to firm up as they cool, so don’t be tempted to bake them for any longer.

Rum Glaze

  • Make the rum butter glaze while the gingerbreads are in the oven, as the glaze needs to be brushed onto the cookies while they are still warm.
  • Sift the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl. Add the melted butter, rum (or lemon juice) and water and mix with a spoon until smooth. The glaze will thicken slightly if it sits around, if so stir a little more warm water in if you need—it should be the consistency of runny honey.
  • Remove the cookies from the oven, leave them to cool for 5 minutes, then brush or dab the glaze all over with a pastry brush. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

If you want to keep the glaze booze-free, the rum in the icing can be replaced with lemon juice.
Make-Ahead: Once the dough is made, it can be covered in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
Storage:  These will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container. The glaze will discolor and crack a little, but this will not affect how they taste.
Swedish Visiting Cake Bars
Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Day 3 of 12 Days of Cookies

Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Day 3 of 12 Days of Cookies

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If you like almonds you are going to LOVE this cookie. A crispy almond topping layered on a chewy slightly dense cake. Perfect with a cup of tea. A nice addition to any cookie tray. Find the thinnest sliced almonds possible, they seem to work better to ensure your meringue has a nice crunch but is still light.

Swedish Visiting Cake Bars
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Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Day 3 of 12 Days of Cookies

Ingredients

For the Topping

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds blanched or unblanched

For the Bars

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • Confectioners' sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

  • Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

To make the topping:

  • Put the sugar in a medium bowl and pour over the egg whites. Using your fingers or a form, mix until the sugar is moistened. If there are lumps, ignore them. Toss in the almonds and stir them around until they're coated with the sugared whites. Set aside while you make the batter.

To make the bars:

  • Working in a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, and salt together until the mixture lightens in color and thickens a little, about 2 minutes.
  • Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour. When the flour is fully incorporated, gradually fold in the melted butter. You'll have a thick batter with a lovely sheen.
  • Scrape it into the pan and use the spatula to work the batter into the corners. The layer will be very thin.
  • Give the topping another stir, or a run-through with your fingers, and turn it out onto the batter. Use a spatula or your fingers to spread the almonds evenly over the mixture, making sure to get nuts into the corners too.
  • Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs stuck to it. The meringue topping will be pale golden brown. If you'd like a deeper color on the topping, run it under the broiler until you get the shade of gold you like best.
  • Transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and unmold it onto the rack. Very gently peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack to cool to room temperature.
  • Transfer the cake to a cutting board and, using a long, thin knife, slice it into nine 3-inch squares. For smaller portions, cut each square into two triangles. If you'd like, you can dust the bars with confectioners' sugar just before you serve them.
Mighty Mouse? No, Mighty Jamie To Save the Day (12 Days of Cookies)

Mighty Mouse? No, Mighty Jamie To Save the Day (12 Days of Cookies)

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My Christmas present arrived early this year.  The twins are home!  Lucky for me Jamie is in a baking mood and immediately tackled one of our favorite cookie books, Dorie’s Cookies.  So, without further ado…

Heeeeeere’s Jamie with Day 3, 4, and 5 of our 12 Days of Cookies

Hey everyone! Jamie here. Home for the holidays!  I got home Thursday night, so naturally, I have already baked three different kinds of cookies.  I decided that mom needed some help with completing her “12 Days of Cookies” blog posts. Between you and me, she gets MAJORLY stressed when she bakes during the holidays, so knocking out three different cookies for her is really just me trying to make my holidays a lot more pleasant. But don’t tell her I said that.

To be honest, I’m really not a cookie person. I’d much rather eat a slice of super dense chocolate cake than a gooey chocolate chip cookie. Call me crazy, I know. I will say that baking cookies is a little more enjoyable than baking cakes.  It’s SO easy! They take a 3rd of the time to bake, and once you bake them you don’t have to spend extra time making more frosting or fillings which really means I only have to do dishes once. (HUGE).  

I picked these three cookies because they looked pretty easy to me, and their pictures in the cookbook looked pretty good.  The Swedish Visiting Cake Bars are better cold and almost have a custard-like taste to them.  My dad wasn’t super thrilled about all the almonds on top, but I think they add a nice crunch.  They are more cake-like than you would expect, but they have an awesome almond flavor that I am a huge sucker for. These cookie-cake bars definitely grew on me. The Snowy Topped Brownie Drops are basically small lumps of brownies with a ton of powdered sugar on them–what’s not to like??? Unless you don’t like chocolate.  My least favorite part of these cookies is that the dough must be chilled for at least 3 hours. I tend to get impatient and want to finish baking all in one fell swoop.  But my dad did say that they are his favorite of the three, so maybe it’s worth it. Last but not least, the Coffee Malteds cookies.  I made a tiny mistake (or a huge mistake if you talk to my mom) when I didn’t sift the malted milk powder before mixing it into the wet ingredients, so my cookies have some weird lumps of malted milk powder in them. But other than that, they taste pretty good (ps. you can’t even taste the weird lumps so w/e). I dipped them in chocolate, which in my opinion makes them 10000000 times better. We are taking the cookies to our annual pre-school cookie exchange tomorrow, so we’ll see which one is everyone’s favorite!

HI CLAIRE

Attention Java Junkies! Coffee Malteds: Day 5 of 12 Days of Cookies

Attention Java Junkies! Coffee Malteds: Day 5 of 12 Days of Cookies

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Coffee Malteds from Dorie’s Cookies a great cookie for all Java Junkies and even those that aren’t coffee lovers.  The addition of malted milk powder adds a nutty, vanilla, earthy flavor-a touch of Ovaltine in your cookie. To take them over the top, Jamie dipped them in chocolate, genius!

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Coffee Malteds from Dorie's Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups 204gms all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup 40gms unflavored malted milk powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup 100gms sugar
  • 1/4 cup 50gms packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground coffee preferably from espresso beans (or use instant or powdered coffee or espresso)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat it to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Whisk the flour, malt powder, and baking powder together.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, both sugars, espresso, and salt together on medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, return to medium speed and, one by one, beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla, beating for 1 minute after each goes in.
  • Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once and pulse, just to begin incorporating the flour and malt powder. When the risk of flying flour is passed, mix on low speed only until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough. You'll have a rather crumbly dough, but that's fine. Give the dough a few last turns with a sturdy flexible spatula and then reach in, knead if necessary and gather the dough into a ball.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of dough, or use a teaspoon to get rounded spoonfuls. Roll the dough into balls and place them an inch apart on the lined baking sheets.
  • Bake the cookies for 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back after 8 minutes. The cookies will be soft and golden only around the edges; they won't look done, and they're not—they'll firm as they cool. Transfer the sheets to racks and then, after about 10 minutes, carefully lift the cookies onto the racks to cool completely.
  • Do Ahead
  • Packed in a tightly covered container, the cookies will keep for up to 3 days (after that, they get firmer and are perfect for dunking...in coffee, of course). Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Ho Ho Ho! Yo-Yo’s are here! Day 2 Holiday Cookies

Ho Ho Ho! Yo-Yo’s are here! Day 2 Holiday Cookies

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Day 2 of 12 days of Cookies.  I am off to a slow start having posted the first cookie days ago.  But I promise, this cookie will make up for the wait.  Once again I found a delicious treat in Ottolenghi’s dessert book, Sweet. Yep, my new fav. I am a sucker for shortbread and their Yo-Yos are just that, buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies. They didn’t stop there, the cookies are then paired with a luscious buttercream to make an absolutely delicious sandwich cookie. Perfect for a holiday cookie platter.

The cookies are made with custard powder, an English invention.  A thickening agent like cornstarch, the custard powder gives the cookies their sandy texture. The addition of annatto to the powder creates that lovely yellow-orange hue.  I found Bird’s Custard Powder at a local Indian supermarket, cornstarch can be used instead but I love the color from the Bird’s Custard.

The dough comes together quickly.  Dry ingredients are sifted into a bowl and butter cut into it. The mixture starts out very dry and crumbly but after adding the vanilla and increasing the speed of the mixer the dough comes together nicely.

Use a tablespoon ice cream scoop to measure out portions of dough. Roll each scoop into a smooth round ball and then smoosh each with a fork.

I have a confession to make.  I couldn’t find rhubarb so I substituted strawberries instead to make the buttercream.  The berries give the buttercream both flavor and color and make very striking sandwich cookies.  No wonder they call these cookies Yo-Yos.  Can’t wait until rhubarb is in season.

and to get you into the holiday baking mood….Mariah

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Ho Ho Ho! Yo-Yo’s are here! Day 2 Holiday Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 small stalk rhubarb trimmed, washed and cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 4 1/2 tbs unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbs confectioner's sugar
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Dough

  • 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tbs all-purpose flour Plus 1 tbs for dusting
  • 1/2 cup custard powder can use cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tbs confectioner's sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract use 1/2 tsp if using cornstarch

Instructions
Stuck on Sticky Rice (Gnaw Mai Fan)

Stuck on Sticky Rice (Gnaw Mai Fan)

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When the holidays roll around and the feasting begins, you can find me eyeing the array of side dishes on the table.  Yep, scoop me some sweet potatoes, pour on the creamed spinach, and pile high the mashed potatoes. While everyone oohs and ahs over the turkey, I’ll be laser focused on the sides, like the STUFFING.  I adore stuffing, especially my mom’s bread stuffing, but my second favorite is a Chinese rice dish.  It’s called Gnaw Mai Fan. Sounds delicious right? No? Also known as Sticky Rice Dressing, it is the Asian contribution to the Thanksgiving table.

You start with sweet (glutinous) rice, add fragrant shiitake mushrooms, sweet & salty Chinese sausage aka Lop Cheung, dried shrimp, and finish with a generous amount of green onions.  Sounds easy right? It is, but the hurdle is getting the ingredients, unless you have an Asian market nearby.

Primer for Sweet Rice Dressing

Moving from left to right; long-grain rice, green onions, dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, and dried shiitake or black mushrooms. Behind the mushrooms is the short grain sweet rice (or glutinous rice) and in the back are bottles of oyster sauce and soy sauce used to season the rice. Yep, two kinds of rice.  I mix the glutinous rice with regular long-grain rice to lighten the rice mixture.  All of these ingredients can be found in most Asian markets.  The dried shrimp and sausage can be found in the refrigerator case.  Sauces to use?  the following two are key.  I swear by Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce and Lee Kum Kee’s Premium Soy Sauce are my go-tos, but Pearl Ridge and the Korean brand Sempio 501 are good too.

Soak, Soak, Baby

Soak the dried mushrooms and shrimp in warm water for approximately 15 minutes or until soft.  Drain and reserve the soaking water from the mushrooms and shrimp. Wash your long grain rice and drain.  Add the glutinous rice and long grain to your rice cooker.  Yes, your rice cooker.  I have absolutely no idea how to cook rice in anything else but a rice cooker (use the measuring cups that come with your rice cooker).  Strain and add reserved liquid from mushrooms and shrimp to the pot, add chicken broth to make up the difference. Place Chinese sausage on top of the rice and turn on the rice cooker.

Prep the other ingredients while the rice is cooking.  Optional additions include ground seasoned pork, char siu (bbq pork), bacon, and roasted chestnuts.  It’s your rice dish, go crazy.  I usually add seasoned ground pork or chicken.

In a pickle, I have used Japanese short-grain or sushi rice in place of the glutinous and long grain rice combination.  Shhh, don’t tell my Mom!  My kid has made this for his Friendsgiving celebration to rave reviews.

This dressing works well as stuffing for turkey or chicken, use it just like any bread stuffing.  If served on the side, add the pan drippings to the rice for a flavor boost.

Garnish with cilantro and scallions.

And It’s Gluten Free!

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Gnaw Mai Fan-Chinese Sweet Rice Stuffing

A traditional Cantonese Rice dish to use in place of stuffing during Thanksgiving!
Course Main Course, One dish meals
Cuisine Asian
Keyword gnaw mai fan, Sweet Rice Stuffing
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes

Equipment

  • Rice Cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long grain rice using the rice cooker mesuring cup
  • 2 cups sweet rice using the rice cooker measuring cup
  • 4 lop cheung steamed with rice, removed and diced
  • 1/2 cup char siu (bbq pork) Reduce lop cheung to 3 and substitute diced barbecue pork
  • 4 dried black mushrooms (shitake mushrooms) soaked in warm water until soft, diced, reserve soaking liquid (use 1-1.5 cups of water)
  • 1/4 cup small dried shrimp soaked in warm water with black mushrooms
  • 2 slices fresh ginger size of a quarter
  • 3-4 cups chicken stock you can use commercial low sodium chicken broth
  • 3 green onions chopped

Ground pork and marinade

  • 1/3 cup ground pork or chicken
  • 1 tsp each sherry, oyster sauce, soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • dash of salt
  • 1 pinch white pepper
  • 1 slice ginger

Seasonings

  • 1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce Premium LKK Chinese Soy Sauce or Korean Soy Sauce (Sempio)
  • 1-2 Tbsp Oyster sauce Lee Kum Kee brand-Lady, boy in boat label

Garnish

  • Cilantro
  • Green onion

Instructions

  • Cook rice in rice cooker with reserved soaking liquid from mushrooms and shrimp and chicken broth.
  • Marinade ground pork for 10-15 minutes.
  • Heat pan, add 1 T oil, when hot, add ginger and fry 30 seconds, add drained dried shrimp and 1 t water, sauté 30 seconds then add ground pork, saute just until pork is no longer pink.
  • Add mushrooms and lop cheung. Sauté additional minute or two.
  • Add green onions, saute' another 30 seconds and remove from heat.
  • Pour rice into large mixing bowl. Fold in sautéed ingredients, mix soy sauce and oyster sauce together and add to rice. You will probably need more, just use a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to oyster sauce.
  • Mix thoroughly.

Notes

Leftovers can be pressed and shaped into rice balls for a tasty portable snack-thumbs up from my kids!
There’s Always Room for J-E-L-L-O

There’s Always Room for J-E-L-L-O

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Do Not Laugh.  Yes, this is a recipe for jello, not the boxed Jello you made with your mom when you were a kid (your job-pour the contents into a big bowl), oh no. The Asian version of Jello, Almond Jello. So good, it brings a whole new dimension to Jello. It’s delicious, light and refreshing.

If you have ever had a meal in a Chinese restaurant which served dessert other than fortune cookies, it might have been Almond Jello.  Unfortunately, much of the Almond Jello served in restaurants isn’t very good.  I have a theory, LOTS of Asians are lactose intolerant so milk is used sparingly.  Well, that’s what makes Almond Jello YUMMY, the addition of milk-like the white layers of finger jello or the cream cheese in that funky but delicious Lime and Pineapple Jello Ring that everyone’s aunt (who couldn’t cook) brought to every potluck. Jello with Moo-magic.

When I was a kid the fanciest restaurant in Chinatown was The Empress of China. In its heyday celebrities and politicians clamored there.  My folks would take us there for very special occasions-birthday dinners for grandparents, wedding banquets and Chinese New Year. High on the 6th floor, it had the most breathtaking views of the City and the East Bay.  I loved the Green Jade Mist Almond Delight, their version of Almond Jello.  Served in a goblet with a touch of Creme de Menthe it was the glitzy ending to a fancy meal.

Typically Almond Jello is topped with fruit, not creme de menthe.  You can use mandarin oranges or fruit cocktail (when is the last time you had fruit cocktail out of a can, strictly nostalgic choice) or Lychees. Use fruit packed in light syrup or its own juice.  I add the syrup or juice to the jello so it just slides down your throat, like having jello soup. Confession, I loved pouring milk on my jello, same effect. Canned fruit makes it a great winter dessert when fresh fruit can be hard to find. You could jazz it up seasonally by adding fresh strawberries or blueberries.  This recipe makes soft jello which I happen to like. If you like jello that has the consistency of finger jello, reduce the amount of the water in the recipe to 3/4 cup of each and the milk to 2 cups.

When I was pregnant with my oldest, my craving was Almond Jello.  I made vats of it, doubling, tripling, even quadrupling the recipe. Seriously, it was like gestational crack.

These days I make Almond Jello when my oldest kid comes home.  He loves it. If I don’t steal a couple of scoops before I let him know there is a bowl in the fridge, I will have lost my window of opportunity to have some.

It’s stupid easy, so delicious.   Try it, who doesn’t like jello?
Almond Jello

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Almond Jello

Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword almond, almond jello, Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 packets gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar you can adjust the sugar to the sweetness of your liking
  • 2 1/4-2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 15 ounce can of Mandarin oranges packed light syrup

Instructions

  • Put cold water in a mixing bowl.
  • Sprinkle gelatin on surface of cold water. Let it sit for one minute
  • Add sugar and stir.
  • Add hot water and stir until completely dissolved. (I cheat, if it doesn't look fully dissolved, zap it for 15 seconds in the microwave)
  • Stir in milk and extracts. Pour mixture into individual serving bowls or 1 large glass bowl such as a souffle dish
  • Chill until firm (at least 2-3 hours)
  • Cut jello into cubes if desired. Top with mandarin oranges