Pineapple Pockets to the Rescue-Pining for a Cookie

By threejamigos | December 25, 2020 | Comments 1 comment

There are a couple of baking books that are my go-tos for cookies, especially during the holidays, like Rose Levy Berenbaum’s Christmas Cookies, Alice Medrich’s Cookies and Brownies and Flo Bracker’s Sweet Miniatures. I find myself reaching for Sweet Miniatures when I want an elegant, fancy cookie. Yes it will probably require a bit more effort than drop cookies, but it’s Christmas, when else are you going to pull out all the stops?

Pineapple Cakes from Taiwan inspired me to make the Pineapple Pockets from Sweet Miniatures. Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes are little bite-sized squares of pineapple jam cloaked in a sweet, buttery pastry crust. I’m obsessed with these little cake-like cookies. My introduction to these treats came years ago when a friend returning from a trip to Taipei brought back Te Chia Pineapple Cakes. It was love at first bite. The sweetness from the pineapple offset by the buttery shortbread crust…needless to say, I was smitten. I casually mention pineapple cakes to every friend that goes back to Taiwan while giving them my best wistful look.

While these Pineapple Pockets are more complicated than your average drop cookie, the resemblance to Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes put these on my must-bake holiday cookie list. The process begins with making a caramelized pineapple jam then a pastry dough. The dough is rolled and cut into circles, dotted with the jam, and then shaped into cones. Labor-intensive, but in the end, you are rewarded with a meltingly tender cookie highlighted by the dollop of golden, caramelized pineapple preserves. They are absolutely delicious and well worth the effort. But most importantly, they are delicious enough to satisfy my Pineapple Cake craving. Now I don’t have to wait for friends to take pity on me and bring them back from Taiwan!

The jam is made first and set aside to cool. I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla to the jam and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor. Make the dough, chill it, then roll it into a circle. The dough should be about 1/8-3/16 inch thickness. Use a 2 inch round cutter for the circles. Your best friend is your refrigerator. If the dough gets soft or sticky during the process, put it back in the fridge to chill. This will make it easier to handle.

Position the jam off-center. Using a butter knife or thin blade spatula, flip the edge closest to you over the jam. Angle your spatula on the opposite side and flip towards you, overlapping with the first.

Ta-da, ready to bake! Sprinkle powdered sugar on the finished cookies for a festive look. In a pinch, you could use jarred preserves, make sure whatever you use is not too runny or thin.

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Pineapple Pockets

Flo Bracker's delicious Pineapple Pockets. Caramelized Pineapple Jam encased in a buttery, tender pastry and shaped into a cone.

Course cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, flo bracker, holiday cookies, Pineapple cakes, Pineapple Pockets

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 14

Ingredients

Dough

6 ounces unsalted butter, room temp 1-1/2 sticks
1/4 cup granulated sugar 50gms
1/2 cup unsifted powdered sugar 50gms
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1-2/3 cup unsifted all-purpose flour 235gms

Pineapple Filling

2 tbsp water
1/3 cup granulated sugar 65gms
8-ounce can crushed pineapple in natural juice
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

In bowl of mixer, cream butter at medium low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in sugars at medium speed until creamy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, then vanilla, beating until well combined and slightly fluffy. Scrape down the sides of bowl. Lower mixer speed, and gradually add flour and mix just until it is combined.
Gather dough into a disc and chill 15-30 minutes. Divide dough in half and on parchment or wax paper, roll each piece into a circle. approximately 11 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover top with parchment and refrigerate until firm about 2 hours.

Pineapple filling

In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar over low heat. Swirl occasionally and wash down any sugar crystals that form on the side with a brush dipped in cold water to dissolve them. Increase heat to medium-high and cook without stirring until sugar thickens and turns amber in color about 8 minutes. Take it off the heat and add crushed pineapple and juice all at once. Careful as mixture will bubble up. Stir to combine and return the pan to stove and cook over med-high heat until mixture is golden and syrupy. Remove from stove and stir in butter. Place in bowl and set it aside to cool.

Putting It All Together

Preheat oven to 325
Remove one piece of dough, peel off parchment. Put parchment back on dough and flip dough over and peel off bottom parchment.
Use a 2 inch round cookie cutter cut out circles and place on lined baking sheets. Place 1/2 teaspoon of cooled jam off-centered on circle. Fold over one edge of dough over jam, then overlap the opposite edge at an angle to form a cone. See pics.
Bake one sheet at a time, for 12-14 minutes until edges ar light golden.
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Lift cookies off and place directly on cooling rack.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. optional)
Store at room temp for up to 10 days.

The 2020 Holiday Cookie Tin

Jest Jammin’ (Christmas Cookies)

By threejamigos | December 24, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

I remarked to hubby the other day, “I ‘ve been pretty bad about baking holiday treats the last few years, huh”. It was a rhetorical question as I pulled out more than a few jars of expired jams. I love filled cookies-Thumbprints, Linzer bars, Raspberry Oaties so I have a penchant for stocking up on “stuff” like preserves, sprinkles, holiday cupcake liners…in preparation for the holiday season.

Somehow I curtailed my cookie baking tradition a “few” years ago. Homemade granola and Candied Spiced Pecans were so much easier. I finally resurrected the cookie baking last year. I eased my way back with an assortment of slice and bake cookies (check out my index for slice and bakes!) but this year, as I guiltily tossed several jars of raspberry preserves, I exclaimed…

JAM IT, I’m baking filled cookies this year!

So without further ado, here is the line-up for this year’s holiday cookie jam-stravaganza.

Cranberry Cherry Ribbon Cookies– Sweet-tart cranberry cherry jam sandwiched between buttery shortbread. I hope Nancy Baggett doesn’t mind, I construct these cookies differently than in her All American Cookie Book- this one is for you, Joe B. (Recipe link soon!)

Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprints– Good, but I’d make my Thumbprints instead if you like walnuts, or Emeril’s Thumbprints that have a hint of citrus. Yummers.

Dorie’s Jammers – filled with recently bought jams (strawberry, peach and cherry) from Sunblest Orchards. Dorie, my baking hero.

Pineapple Pockets – Flo Bracker’s Sweet Miniatures. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie with a little scoop of caramelized pineapple jam. Mele Kalikimaka!

Not jam-filled but a holiday imperative I make these

Eric Kim’s Grocery Store Cookie– These cookies make me happy! I don’t even like the supermarket ones, but these? Make them now, you’ll thank me. A soft, tender cake-like vanilla cookie with hot pink raspberry frosting-SO DELICIOUS. Here is his video on making these little smiles. Recipe with my notes posted thru link. Shhh, don’t tell NYT cooking. I subscribe-it’s all good.

Traditional Scottish Shortbread-because it’s my favorite and if I’m making cookies, I’m making these. Looks are deceiving, they are scrumptious.

Pecan Tartlets-not a jam but it is a filled cookie and oh so good. Hubby would disavow me if I didn’t make them.

Yes, this is my holiday cookie run-down. Any of these would make an awesome sweet treat to ring in the New Year, kick 2020 to the curb and usher in 2021. But don’t just bake them during the holidays, make them for Ground Hog Day, Valentine’s Day, MY birthday, YOUR birthday, because it’s Tuesday. Anytime you want to make someone smile. Jamie made Sally’s Baking Addiction Best Sugar Cookies for the delicious beauties below!

Or For A Great Cause!

Happy Holidays

In a Peanut Pickle with these Cookies (Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies)

By threejamigos | January 10, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

I have mentioned this before, when it comes to cookies we are a divided family. Shortbread cookies are my favorite, crumbly, buttery, crisp, not too sweet, perfect with tea or coffee.

My family disagrees. Hubs and kids prefer chewy cookies. While Hubs favors oatmeal cookies (like his Good Cookies), Jorge, freshly back from a year in Korea, will remind me (almost daily) that I have yet to make his favorite chocolate sprinkle cookies or even CCC. All classic kid cookies-chewy, sweet and deliciously dunkable in an ice-cold glass of milk.

So, much to Jordan’s chagrin, the cookies that came out of the oven the other day were the Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies, a slice and bake that is much more similar to shortbread. I found the recipe in the LA Times (a boss cooking section, the reason I maintain a subscription) a few years ago. The winner of their holiday cookie contest, it immediately went on my gotta make Cookie Bucket List. It is delicious, buttery, crisp, not quite as dense as shortbread, and filled with peanut umami. The cookies contain both peanut butter and finely chopped peanuts, a double nut hit. Mr. Planter would be proud. The bittersweet chocolate gives it an adult twist, a not too sweet hit of chocolate, yum.

I knew it was a winner when Jorge unconsciously kept eating the cookies all the while complaining about not liking peanut butter or crisp, short cookies and still asking “When are you going to make Sprinkle Cookies?” as he polished off the last one.

Necessity is the mother of invention and quite often, a good thing. Stashed in the pantry, a jar of honey roasted peanuts that subbed for the salted peanuts I did not have. To offset the sweetness from the honey, I sprinkled the cookies with Fleur de Sel before popping them in the oven.

The peanut butter, sugar, and butter are beaten until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and combine, don’t overbeat. Fold in the nuts and chopped chocolate. The dough is very soft, transfer the dough to wax paper or parchment and shape into a log. Place in the fridge and chill thoroughly. Use a sharp knife or a serrated knife to cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices. I rotated the dough while slicing to keep the cookies round. If the dough crumbles, just smoosh it back together. Sprinkle the slices with Fleur de Sel and sanding sugar.

If you wanted to make a kid friendlier cookie, you can use semi-sweet or even milk chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate. If you like peanuts, you are going to love these cookies.

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Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies

Course cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 1 stick cold butter
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely chopped roasted peanuts or honey roasted peanuts
1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
Fleur de Sel for sprinkling
Sanding Sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter until creamy in a stand mixer. Beat in the peanut butter until blended. Beat in the sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat the egg and vanilla into the sugar mixture until combined. Add flour mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in chopped peanuts and chocolate until evenly incorporated.
Divide the dough in half. Shape it into two logs about 9 inches long and wrap each log in plastic wrap, waxed paper. Twist ends to seal. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the logs and cut into one-fourth-inch-thick slices. The dough is soft so rotate while slicing. If dough crumbles due to peanuts or chocolate just press it together to reshape.
Place the slices on parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake 10 to 13 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.
Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

Each cookie: 66 calories; 1 gram protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 7 mg. cholesterol; 38 mg. sodium.

World Peace Cookies-Let’s Do the Cookie Wrap Now

By threejamigos | January 1, 2020 | Comments 4 comments

Christmas is over, but that doesn’t mean the cookie baking has stopped.

After all, we still need to ring in the new year and what better way than with delicious sweet or salty nibbles? Need a savory bite to go with cocktails, try Parmesan Shortbread or Bouchon’s Gourgeres. Didn’t finish that bottle of bubbly Rose’, the perfect answer, Christina Tosi’s Champagne Shortbread.

To usher in 2020, I looked for the perfect bite-sized treat when you have a cocktail or a glass of the bubbly in your grasp. I kept in mind my slice and bake theme and decided the perfect cookie to have for New Year’s Eve or Day, DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies

A fitting cookie to celebrate the end of a decade and bring in a new one.

This cookie, a Pierre Herme creation, was originally called the Korova cookie and was published in Dorie’s Paris Sweets. It was the first book of Dorie’s I purchased. This cookie “made me buy it”. My reaction the first time I popped one in my mouth was, “WOW, this is REALLY, I mean REALLY, GOOD.”

I’m not a big fan of chocolate cookies so it took me by surprise. So delicious, Dorie’s friend renamed this chocolate wonder, World Peace Cookie. If everyone shared these we could achieve global peace. The cookies are chocolatey and sweet with bits of Fleur de Sel providing a surprising hit of saltiness. The chunks of bittersweet chocolate temper the sweetness and give the cookies a 1-2 chocolate punch. Yep, like a champ.

Ok. This cookie does pop up on a zillion feeds. So why am I re-posting? Well, you can never post the perfect chocolate cookie too many times and more importantly, on the off chance YOU haven’t made these, how could I not? I would be remiss if I didn’t, a dereliction of blogger duty.

There is another reason. I came across Dorie’s updated version of the World Peace Cookie in her book, Dorie’s Cookies (of course I own a copy, silly). Bakers often commented on the original recipe about the crumbly dough and how difficult it was to form a log. Her updated version has a little more butter, a little more sugar, and a smidge less flour. I noticed the updated dough was softer than the original recipe and came together easily. Perhaps her changes came about from baking them in ring molds for their cookie pop-up or maybe to address the crumble rumble.

I think the original recipe is much more like a sable’, a little drier and shortbread-like while the updated version is softer and a tad moister (wow, this was an auto-correct). I fully intend to bake the original soon for comparison. The bottom line is both versions are DELICIOUS.

The dough comes together in a snap. Butter is beaten with sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Then chopped dark chocolate is folded into the dough. Natural or Dutch-process cocoa can be used. I used King Arthur’s Triple Cocoa Blend (all-purpose cocoa) but use your favorite. For the chocolate, I like Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate that comes in a big honking bar. You can use fancy designer chocolate to up the wow factor or you can use chips when you are in a hurry. I like the jagged, rough pieces you get chopping the chocolate. Use bittersweet chocolate, especially with the updated version which is a little sweeter than the original.

Roll the dough into logs, wrap in parchment or wax paper and chill. Use a serrated or sharp knife to cut 1/2 inch pieces. The dough will crumble but it is an easy fix, just smoosh it back together. No sweat. See?

Bake the cookies for twelve minutes. Don’t check them and don’t open the oven door. Just relax until the buzzer goes off. “Bake and take” them out-Dorie’s rules. Let them cool to set. They’re delicious slightly warm or at room temperature. Get out the milk or get out the bubbly and ENJOY.

Happy New Year! Wishing for World Peace in 2020!

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Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies

These chocolate cookies will satisfy any chocoholic. Similar to a sable' these cookies are from Dorie Greenspan's Cookie book and are absolutely addicting.

Course cookies

Cuisine American, French

Keyword chocolate cookies, Dorie Greenspan, korova cookies, world peace cookies

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 170gm
1/3 cup cocoa powder Dutch-processed or natural 30gm
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, (1 stick + 3 T) at room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 134gm
1/4 cup granulated sugar 50gm
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits 142gm or 5 ounces
Fleur de Sel optional, to sprinkle on cookies before baking

Instructions

Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together and keep the bowl close. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the butter is soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt, and vanilla extract and beat for another minute or two. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated — the dough will look crumbly, and that’s just right. For the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface and squeeze it so that it sticks together in large clumps, don't be afraid to smoosh it together. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it in half, and working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. (Cookie-dough logs can end up with hollow centers, so as you’re shaping each log, flatten it once or twice and roll it up from one long side to the other to get the air out)
Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill them for at least 1 hour. (Wrapped airtight, the logs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month.)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Working with a sharp thin-bladed knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick. (Don’t worry if the rounds break; just squeeze the broken-off bit back onto the cookie.) Place the cookies on the parchment-lined sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) spread space between them.
If you want to up your salt game, sprinkle a tiny bit of Fleur de Sel on each cookie before baking. It adds a tiny wow factor to the look of the cookie too.
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time, and bake each sheet for 12 minutes. The cookies will not look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies stand until they are only just warm or until they reach room temperature.

Cultured Club with Girl Deb (Cultured Butter Cookies)

By threejamigos | December 24, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Last but not least of the trio of slice and bake cookies, Cultured Butter Cookies from Melissa Clark via The New York Times. On a trip to my neighborhood Trader Joes, I came across Cultured Butter. What? “cultured butter”, my curiosity was peaked. As if the planets had just aligned, what should pop up on my feed? An article by Melissa Clark in the NYT on the virtues of cultured butter. A recipe for Cultured Butter Cookies was included. Butter Cookies? A cousin to my favorite cookie, Shortbread? I’m on it.

Cultured butter is slightly tangy and salty. Throw out the notion that you should only use unsalted butter to cook and bake. Cultured butter, from Brittany, wears salt like a badge of honor. The process of pasteurization kills the live cultures in the milk. Adding back a bacteria culture to the milk gives the butter a nice tang. So, a live culture, salt, and higher butterfat content, what do you get? Butter on “roids”.

Trader Joe’s carries a very good Cultured Butter (according to Bon Apetit’). Imported from Brittany, its a bargain. Not just perfect for Melissa’s cookies, but delicious on toast, spread on a baguette or drizzled on vegetables.

The remaining logs of dough of my trio of slice and bakes are chilling in the fridge. All I have to do is slice, bake, and arrange them on a festive plate, and I’m good to go…to any holiday party, even yours (hint, hint).

Bout’ the cookies

Beat softened butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and combine. This results in a lighter, crisper cookie. Blend in the dry ingredients, do not overbeat. The dough is then molded into a log (helpful hints for creating logs) and chilled. Roll the logs in sugar, I like white sanding or sparkling sugar which gives the cookies a festive look and provides a bit of crunch.

Slice at least 1/4 inch thick, no less for a nice edge and then bake on parchment-lined sheet until the edges turn a nice deep golden brown. The cookies taste even better on the second day as the flavors have a chance to develop.

These cookies are lovely. Light, crisp, buttery perfect with tea, champagne, just about anything. I’ll be baking a batch for New Year’s Eve too.

The trio of slice and bakes and the stamped Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread were the cornerstone of my #f52HolidaySwap box this year. What’s that you say? Think…

Secret Santa

Hosted by Food52, this is a wonderful, fun way to share the holiday spirit of giving with a stranger and donate to a worthwhile cause. For a small donation (this year’s recipient was No Kid Hungry) you are sent a name and address of someone in the world (yep, you read that right-world, although most likely stateside) to send a package of goodies. My holiday box went to Kim in Ohio, filled with not only cookies but spiced pecans, homemade granola, kitchen towels I trimmed myself (so easy) and a beautiful bowl made by my friend, Snook. In turn, I received a box from Massachusetts, with cute flour sack towels, homemade cookies, and a festive spatula.

I am already thinking about next year’s box!

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Cultured Butter Cookies

Course cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword Cultured Butter Cookies

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 18

Ingredients

2 cups 250 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon 3 grams baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup 2 sticks salted, cultured butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup 130 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup coarse sanding sugar for rolling

Instructions

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and granulated sugar until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in egg yolk until combined. With mixer running on low, add flour mixture until incorporated.
Divide dough half. On a clean surface, roll each halfinto a 1 ½ inch log.
Sprinkle the coarse sanding sugar over a sheet of parchment. Roll each log in the sugar until the outside of the dough is thoroughly covered.
Cover logs tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, heat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Use large, sharp knife to cut each log into ¼ inch-thick rounds. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookie edges and bottoms are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature.

Notes

Trader Joe's has Cultured Butter!

Jan Hagels, Anyway You Slice It, That’s the Way I Want It

By threejamigos | December 18, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Bah Humbug, for some reason I have not been able to get into holiday “drive”. Maybe I’m still jet lagged from our trip to New Orleans or I am still in a Creole butter coma.

The Cookie Cure

Gotta Snap Out Of It. Maybe baking tried and true recipes might work. I dug out my Christmas cookie journal to peruse and get in the cookie mood. A binder filled with cookie recipes from magazines, photocopies of recipes from books along with my own notes, and pictures drawn by my kids when they were little. It’s my cookie bible.

I flipped to “Our Favorite Cookies”, from an old issue of Ladies Home Journal. Ninety percent of you are thinking, what? It’s a Women’s magazine, think, Better Homes and Garden with dresses and makeup tips. Raise your hand if you remember it (seriously dating yourself now). This is the epicenter of my annual holiday cookie extravaganza.

Jan Hagels are on the “gotta make them every year” part of the list. Which is always a good way to start to find your cookie groove. These little Dutch gems are thin and crispy, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, and flecked with sliced almonds. They are my mom’s favorite and the first one she will reach for on the cookie platter. How can I not start with these?

Options, roll out the Jan Hagel dough and emboss the dough for traditional Jan Hagel OR form the dough into a log, chill, slice, and bake. Yeah, picking option #2. Chill the dough well, which makes it much easier to slice into the prerequisite 1/8-inch slices. Bake on parchment as the cookies will stick to the pan as they cool. Trust me on this one.

This recipe makes quite a few cookies and the finished cookie keeps very well. Stash a log in the fridge or freezer for freshly baked cookies at a moment’s notice.

Just Can’t Put My Finger On It

The Walnut Thumbprints from the same article also find their way onto my annual baking list. They’re buttery, nutty, tender, a little bit crumbly, and absolutely delicious. Last year I switched hazelnuts for the walnuts, a genius move. Find toasted hazelnuts at TJ’s, which makes life infinitely easier. As much as I love pecans, they aren’t a good choice, they don’t have that pronounced bite walnuts and hazelnuts have.

Slice, Slice Baby

On a roll with slice and bake cookies. Next up, Ginger Oaties from Grand Central Bakery cookbook, a book that has languished on my shelf for years.

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Jan Hagels

Lovely slice and bake Dutch cookie made with almonds, butter, and brown sugar. Flavored with allspice, cinnamon, and ginger. Sweet, spicey, crisp, perfect with a cup of tea.

Course cookies

Cuisine Dutch

Keyword Dutch Almond Cookies, holidays, Jan Hagel

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Ingredients

Da Dry Stuff

1-1/2 cup All purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice

Cream the Following:

1/2 cup butter reg salted (its an old recipe), if using unsalted increase salt to 1/2 tsp, 1 stick or cube
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Da Wet Stuff

`1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Adds

3/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and allspice in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture until blended. Stir in almonds.
Gather and shape dough into 8x2-1/2 -1-12 inch brick. Wrap in wax paper or parchment and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut brick crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices. Line cookie sheet with parchment and bake 8-10 minutes until firm.
Cool on wire rack. Makes 3-1/2 dozen

Beta Testers (Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread, Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread, Pistachio Shortbread Cookies)

By threejamigos | December 13, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

With the reprint of Claudia Fleming’s “The Last Course”, I reached into the archives for a post on a trio of shortbread I “tested” on friends and family. A delectable triple play of cookies that would be lovely in a holiday cookie tin or a festive platter for the annual swap. Fleming’s Lemon Poppy Seed cookies are buttery, tender, lemony with a crunch from the poppy seeds while Back in the Day’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread are rich, chocolatey, and spicy. Bake em’ TODAY. I love pistachios for their color and flavor, both shine in Macrina Bakery’s Pistachio Shortbread.

Without further ado, a trio of tasty cookie bites from “back in the day” that you should bake today!

Human nature always prevails and I am no exception. Every New Year’s Day I make a couple of resolutions…lose weight, get more sleep, test more cookie recipes for next year’s holiday box, one out of three ain’t bad! If I were a major leaguer with a 333 batting average I’d be batting clean up.

So from my collection of cookbooks, I pulled out Back in the Day Bakery Book and made the Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread, Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course (re-issued!) and Pistachio Shortbread from More From Macrina Bakery. I don’t like to rely on my taste buds only, so my trusty crew friends, nieces, & family were my “beta testers”. Consensus was there was no consensus! Although I might have to give the edge to the Mexican Hot Chocolate shortbread, me and Joe Biden..here to cast the final vote.

A successful beta test since these three recipes would all make the cut for the holiday cookie basket.

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread

These cookies taste like a mug of rich hot chocolate. The deep mocha-flavor is followed by a kick of cayenne pepper. Don't let the heat put you off; it only enhances the flavor.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Author Back In the Day Bakery

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients #1

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour

Creamed Mixture

1/2 pound 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Dry Ingredients #2

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder or finely ground coffee
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

The Finishers

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup granulated sugar for dusting

Instructions

Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
Whisk the flours together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter, vanilla, and almond extract until the mixture is pale in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the speed down to low, add the brown sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, espresso, salt, and cayenne pepper, and continue to mix until the mixture is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in thirds until just combined. With the mixer running, sprinkle in the chocolate chips, mixing until just combined.
Transfer the dough to another bowl and finish mixing by hand to make sure no bits of flour or butter are hiding on the bottom of the bowl and the dough is thoroughly mixed.
Use a small ice cream scoop to form the cookies, about 1 rounded tablespoon each, and place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between the cookies to allow for spreading.
Flatten each cookie with a cookie stamp dusted with granulated sugar, or gently flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand and then dust the tops with sugar. They will have little cracks in the top. Refrigerate the cookies for at least 1 hour, or up to 5 hours. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time for even doneness (see Tip). Cool the cookies completely on wire racks. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Tip: It is really difficult to tell when dark chocolate cookies are done. Pull them out when they are firm to the touch on the edges and the sweet smell of chocolate has begun to fill your kitchen.

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Lemon-Poppy Seed Shortbread (Claudia Fleming, The Last Course)

Ingredients

1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, about two minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla and beat well.
In a bowl, combine the flour, poppy seeds, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Form the dough into a disk and, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Preheat oven to 300° F. Roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper to a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. return dough to refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes. Cut the shortbread into shapes with a two-inch cookie cutter, or use a knife, and place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Do not reroll scraps, if using cookie cutter. Prick shortbread with a fork and bake until pale golden all over, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

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PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for the work surface
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup shelled raw or roasted pistachios
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick 4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar sanding sugar, or raw sugar, for garnish

Instructions

Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, salt, pistachios, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor for 1 to 2 minutes, until the pistachios are finely ground. Scatter the butter pieces in the food processor and pulse several times to cut the butter into the flour. Stop pulsing when the ingredients just come together and cling to one another. (Watch carefully, as food processors work very fast and can easily overmix the dough. At first the mixture will have a coarse, crumbly texture, but then if you’re not careful it will quickly turn into a paste.)
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a log about 2 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. (If the dough is too sticky, toss it in the fridge for 10 or so minutes to make it easier to work with. Dampening your hands ever so slightly with cold water also helps.) Place the log on a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Tightly roll the wrap around the log and twist the ends to seal them securely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. (This dough also freezes well for up to 3 weeks if wrapped tightly in plastic.)
Position 2 racks in the center of the oven and preheat to 325ºF (163ºC). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut the chilled cookie dough into 1⁄2-inch-thick coins and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush the top of each shortbread cookie with water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden brown on both top and bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the pistachio shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Pecan Tartlets-The Perfect Little Nutty Bite

By threejamigos | October 4, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

We were invited to Rosh Hashanah dinner the other night and I volunteered to bring dessert. It’s usually a no brainer since our host LOVES Lemon Bars. But then I remembered I had promised to post Mrs. S’s Pecan Tartlet recipe. The Lemon Bars would have to wait for another occasion.

Mrs. S, for all of you that have not read my Toffee Bars post (hint, hint), is my baking muse and mom of my BFF, Joy. Every Christmas, since I met Joy in middle school, I have been the lucky recipient of a plate of Mrs. S’s holiday cookies. They were delicious and beautiful. She was meticulous and something of a control freak (I can SO relate) so she would shoo us out of the kitchen when she started her holiday baking. Occasionally she would let us help with just the finishing touches, placing the pecan halves in her chocolate thumbprints or rolling her meltingly tender almond crescents in powdered sugar. But mixing the cookie dough itself, nope, that was her domain.

My Favorites

Her Toffee Bars and Pecan Tartlets. When I became interested in cooking and baking and not just eating, I asked for her cookie recipes and she was gracious enough to share them with me. For Mrs. S making these cookies became second nature. Details and how-to’s were committed to memory, not to paper. Over the years I have figured out the little extra steps she took that elevated her cookies, especially her Pecan Tartlets, above the rest. I’ve also added my tweaks to make the process easier and faster.

How-Tos:

The tart crust is butter and cream cheese-based and similar to a cookie dough. It does not include any liquids so it won’t shrink much. I make the dough in a food processor, much like tart dough. The dry ingredients are placed in the food processor bowl and pulsed a couple of times to combine. The original recipe includes up to half a cup of sugar in the dough, way too much. I often don’t add any sugar but if you like a sweeter crust, add a MAX of 1/4 cup. Note that the more sugar you add, the quicker you will need to roll out the dough as the sugar makes the dough stickier and tougher to work with. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until the dough just starts to clump. Do not overprocess. Gather the dough and chill for approximately 2 hours.

You could scoop out dough, roll it into balls and press each into tiny muffin tins which is pretty easy, but then you wouldn’t get those cute scalloped edges. Mrs. S’s method was to roll the dough out approximately 3/16 inch thick and cut it with a flower petal cookie cutter. I know, lots of work but, look at how nice they look. The genius of using the petal cutter is the shape makes it very easy to press the dough into the muffin tins.

Next Step:

Make the filling while the dough chills in the fridge. Here’s the cheat. Pour the filling into a squeeze bottle. I replace the top with the lid from the honey I buy at TJ’s. The spout is bigger which allows the filling to flow easily…a nice squirt into each muffin cup. How EASY is that? Ingenuity being the mother of invention, my cheapie wine opener works perfectly for pressing the dough evenly into the muffin tin.

Fill the tarts to where the petals meet and sprinkle the pecans on top. Walnuts or a mix of different nuts would be delicious too. Follow the baking instructions. When slightly cooled, dust the tarts with a nice layer of powdered sugar.

Enjoy these little bites of bliss. Don’t wait until the holidays to make them!

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MINIATURE PECAN TARTS

Bite-sized pecan tarts, sweet, nutty and delicious!

Course cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, holiday baking, Mini Pecan Tarts, pecans

Prep Time 45

Equipment

mini-muffin tin
2 inch petal cookie cutter optional

Ingredients

Cream Cheese pastry

Mix together:

3 ounce cream cheese
1 stick butter salted, or if using unsalted add 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour preferably Gold Medal but any will work

Filling

Blend together:

1 tablespoon softened butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar light brown sugar
1 egg large
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans substitute mixed nuts if you like, walnuts

Instructions

Dough

Original instructions: Combine well and refrigerate. Cut into small circles and press into mini-muffin tin.
My instructions: Mix the dough in a food processor. Place flour in fp bowl. Add butter and cream cheese to flour. Pulse mixture just until it begins to clump. Do not overprocess. Pour onto wax paper or plastic wrap and pat into a disc shape. Chill for at least 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry out to 3/16-1/4 inch thickness. Cut into small circles. I use a petal cutter 2.5-inch or a plain round 2-inch cutter. Press circles into ungreased muffin tins. Chill muffin tins while making the filling.

Filling

Blend filling ingredients well. Pour into a squeeze bottle. I use a plastic TJ honey container that has an opening about 1/8inch. This is a quick way to fill the muffin tins. You could use a spoon.
Fill prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Allow filling to settle slightly. Fill each muffin tin to the top with finely chopped pecans (about 1 cup) Chill.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and bake 20 minutes longer. Allow tarts to cool and carefully remove from tins.
Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar while still warm. Allow to cool before removing from tins.

Notes

There aren't instructions for the prepared muffin tins. I'm guessing at lightly greased. I generally don't grease the tins and occasionally I lose a tartlet to sticking but for the most part a little pry with a thin bladed knife and the tarts come out of the pan.

The Joy of Cookies (Toffee Bars)

By threejamigos | September 20, 2019 | Comments 6 comments

Joy is one of my oldest friends. We went to school together and I mean that literally. We lived a few blocks from each other, every day we would meet on the street corner halfway between our houses to walk and talk the final mile to school. Sometimes, on the walk home, we wouldn’t be done talking so we would walk to one of our houses, turn around and walk back to the meeting point together before parting ways. Silly, huh. Yep, BFFs.

Holiday Highlight

Every Christmas I eagerly awaited her mom’s plate of holiday cookies. Joy’s mom, whom I affectionately called Mrs. S, was an amazing baker (and a marvelous cook too). During the holidays, you could find her holed up in her kitchen busy baking no less than 6-8 different kinds of cookies. Almond Crescents, Spritz Cookies shaped into wreaths decorated with red and green sugar, Chocolate Pecan Thumbprints, Pecan Tartlets, Chocolate Chippers, and Lemon Bars. Her crescents were perfect, her scalloped-edged Pecan Tartlets were the gold standard of bite-sized pies.

In short, she was my muse for holiday cookies. I love all of her cookies, but my favorite? Hands down, her Toffee Bars. A shortbread crust, buttery and sweet, painted with milk chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of chopped almonds. Cookie Nirvana.

Attention to Detail

I have most of Mrs. S’s recipes. Her Pecan Tartlets find their way into every holiday cookie box. The Hubster considers it blasphemous if they are not included. I am religious about following her recipes, I mimic each step. I cut out each tiny pie crust with a flower petal cookie cutter. How else do you get cute scalloped edges? I meticulously shape each ball of almond-infused dough into crescent-shaped moons. Warm from the oven, I roll each cookie in powdered sugar and place it on a cooling rack. Then, sift powdered sugar over the cookies for that snow-capped look. Yep, that little extra step. Her attention to detail was what set her cookies apart and that’s what I learned from her.

It’s been a few years since she left us. Every Christmas since, as I am perusing recipes and pulling out my butter, flour, and sugar- I think of her. I imagine her scurrying around her kitchen churning out tray after tray of her delicious cookies. Then I hear her voice prodding me, it’s time to get busy and bake.

A Fine Understudy

Unfortunately, I don’t have Mrs. S’s recipe for those Toffee Bars that I love so much. (Update: Found it! Mrs. S’s Toffee Squares) But Alice Medrich does. Her Cookies and Brownies book contains toffee bars that are so good, they would make Mrs. S proud. The crust starts with melted butter making these incredibly easy to make. Stir together brown sugar and flour with the butter, press into a pan and bake to a golden brown. For this batch, I scattered a combo of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips on the warm crust, let them melt, and ice the melted chips over the crust. For the final touch, sprinkle toasted hazelnuts over the chocolate. Next batch? Endless possibilities, limited only by your imagination.

Kid version: Use all milk chocolate and either toasted almonds or pecans. Got milk?

Adult version: Use semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, finish with Maldon Salt. Serve with some bubbly.

Sporty twist version: Perfect during a ballgame, your choice of chocolate and salted or honey-roasted peanuts. Play ball!

Allow bars to cool on a rack. Use a serrated knife to cut the pan into bars or wedges.

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Toffee Bars

A buttery, brown sugar crust topped with chocolate and hazelnuts. A riff on Alice Medrich's Toffee Bars.

Course cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword toffee, toffee bar recipe, Toffee Bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Equipment

8x8 inch square pan or 9' tart pan with removable bottom. Any pan with roughly same area I like to use a 12x5 rectangular tart pan and cut the cookies into wedges.

Ingredients

Shortbread base

8 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping

6 ounces milk or semisweet chocolate chopped, if bar or block or use chips
1/2 cup toasted nuts your choice!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven

Shortbread base

Cut butter into chunks and melt in a saucepan over medium heat or place in heatproof glass bowl, loosely cover and microwave at 40% power for 15 seconds, repeat if necessary.
Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Add flour and mix just until combined.
Press dough into a lined (parchment or foil) 8x8-inch pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well browned at the edges and golden brown in the center

Topping

Scatter chocolate evenly on top of warm crust. Let stand to allow the chocolate to melt. If necessary, place in the oven for a minute to help melt the chocolate. Spread chocolate evenly over the crust with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle toasted chopped nuts over chocolate. Set on rack to cool.
Lift and transfer bar to cutting board. Use a sharp knife (I like using a serrated knife)and cut into 2x2" squares or wedges. If necessary chill in fridge to set chocolate.
See story above for variations.