Category: Cookies

Bite Size Desserts
All Things Reconsidered (Raspberry Diamants)

All Things Reconsidered (Raspberry Diamants)

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

Ugh, so Disappointing

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

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Anyway You Slice It

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

After trying the desserts I walked out without a copy.

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

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

It’s Berry Good

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

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

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All Things Reconsidered (Raspberry Diamants from Payard)

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Adapted from Payard Cookies

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

Instructions

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

Italian Jam Crostata

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I almost skipped this recipe but I’m glad I didn’t. The fancy name, Italian Jam Crostata, and its veil of preserves and almonds threw me off.  Behind the name and hidden under the jam lies a buttery, crumbly cookie crust that melts in your mouth.  A clever play on my absolute FAVORITE cookie, shortbread. So good and so easy to make!  I found the recipe on the blog site Bake or Break.  Great site, worth a visit.

The shortbread base screams of buttery goodness (did I mention that already?) not too sweet with just a hint of almond.   The dough is soft much like cookie dough and easily pressed into a tart pan (use one with a removable bottom) or a springform pan.  My tart pan has a dark finished which probably contributed to the shorter baking time than posted. Next time I’ll lower the baking temperature and check it before the suggested baking time elapses.

The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of jam.  I used a bit more, almost 1/2 cup which covered the crust to within 3/4 of an inch from the edge. The crostata is finished off with sliced almonds and a crumble topping made from a portion of the dough.  Pick your favorite jam .   I used raspberry jam this time, next time I will try pineapple preserves with macadamia nuts and flaked coconut.  Sounds intriguing right?

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This is really a great dessert.  Your friends will be oohing and aahing, only you will know how easy it was to put together.

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Italian Jam Crostata

Tender buttery shortbread crust topped with your favorite preserves and almonds. It’s easy to make and yummy to eat!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword crostata, strawberries
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 10 inch fluted tart pan or springform pan

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (12 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup jam use your favorite!
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Variations:

  • Pineapple preserves and flaked coconut

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed. Add vanilla & almond extracts and salt to mixture. Mix until combined.
  • On low speed, add flour to butter mixture, blending just until mixture comes together. Do not overbeat, the dough should be crumbly.
  • Remove 1/2 cup of dough and press onto a plate or pan (~1/4 inch thick). Cover with Saran Wrap and place it in the freezer.
  • Press remaining dough into a 10-inch tart pan or springform pan. You can press the dough in with a glass, covered with saran wrap or with your fingers. Flour your fingertips to prevent sticking. If using a fluted tart pan, press dough to fill to fluted edge but not up the sides!  I made that mistake without thinking that I wasn't making a tart!
  • Spread jam over the dough leaving approximately a 3/4 - 1-inch border.
  • Sprinkle almonds and reserved dough (crumble it with your fingers or a fork) evenly over crust.
  • Bake approximately 40 minutes or until the edge is golden brown. Cool completely before taking it out of pan.
  • Cut into wedges.
Good Cookies-A Winter SOS from Nashville

Good Cookies-A Winter SOS from Nashville

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We received an SOS from our kid Jorge who goes to school in Nashville.  For a California kid, 19 degrees (Fahrenheit!) and snow deserves a care package from home when requested.  If I could box some warm California sunshine I would send that too but he will have to settle for cookies and treats.

Yes, I Have a Food Saver 🤦🏻‍♀️

Care packages are quite a production for us (self-imposed of course). We bake cookies, scour our local Asian market for a particular brand of ramen, and make homemade granola and candied nuts. It doesn’t end there.  We freeze the cookies and vacuum pack them.  No stale smooshed cookies for my kids, nope.  I bet you think this woman is nuts…..you might be right.

What? Make Cookies?

Still reeling from the holiday cookie baking extravaganza, I enlisted the hubs to bake cookies.  Two things Wes bakes and he has perfected them both, carrot cake and his version of oatmeal raisin cookies.  I am off the hook for making birthday cakes as Wes’s Carrot Cake is the uncontested family favorite.  Birthday cake and Carrot Cake are synonymous in our house.

Good Cookies, that’s his other specialty.  That’s their name, Good Cookies.  But they live up to the name.  They are really good.  Think of them as oatmeal raisin cookies that have attained Nirvana. Chewy and soft with a little bit of crunch from the addition of Life cereal.   Over the years he has tinkered with his recipe and has added tart dried cranberries and fresh rosemary which elevates these cookies from good to Awesome.   Like his carrot cake, these cookies have become a tradition, the unequivocal munchie-favorite during midterms and finals.

This recipe can be easily halved or doubled depending on your need.  You can omit the rosemary if that doesn’t appeal to you but try it at least once.  You’ll have your friends wondering what is in that delicious cookie.

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Good Cookies

Delicious drop cookie, think oatmeal cookies on steroids, so good.
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword brown butter, cornflakes, cranberries, Good Cookies, life cereal, oatmeal
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Fugly Goldenrod Large Tupperware bowl from the 60's optional but....

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound salted butter (2 sticks) softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs slightly beatened

Dry Ingredients:combine in small bowl and set aside

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour Gold Medal or Pillsbury AP preferred, but use what you have
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Adds

  • 1/4 tsp fresh finely chopped rosemary optional, but pretty darn good
  • 1/2 cup cereal, crushed (Wes uses Life cereal or sometimes cornflake crumbs)
  • 1-1/2 cups Quick Quaker Oats old fashioned would work, DO NOT USE instant
  • 1.5 cups raisins Wes uses a combination of raisins/cranberries at a ratio of 75%/ 25%

See notes to use a stand mixer

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients plus oatmeal. LITERALLY, Wes uses his hand to knead the ingredients together.
  • In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients (except the raisins).
  • Add dry mixture to wet and mix thoroughly but do not overwork your dough if using an electric mixer
  • Add raisins and cranberries
  • Place heaping tablespoons on an un-greased baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes until edges are golden brown.
  • Makes around 5 dozen.

Notes

Wes actually makes these cookies by hand, no mixer. At most a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the dough and a beat-up fugly goldenrod Tupperware bowl 😂
Classic drop cookie instructions.  On medium speed, cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. You do not need to beat until light and fluffy, which will make it a little cakier.   Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add flour, oatmeal, cereal and rosemary if using. Combine on low speed until no flour is visible.  Stir in dried fruit and rosemary.  To form the dough use a #40 ice cream scooper (1.75 tablespoons) 
Champagne Shortbread
Happy New Year! Champagne Shortbread

Happy New Year! Champagne Shortbread

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New Year’s Eve!  I have never been one to celebrate New Year’s Eve on a big scale.  Every year we talk about going into the City, watching the countdown and toasting in the New Year with the throngs..and yet we ultimately find ourselves staying home, watching a favorite movie and falling asleep!  We manage to toast in the new year with a glass of bubbly and something yummy to nosh on, but that’s about it.  Since I have one more cookie for my 12 Days of Cookie bucket list, why not a festive cookie to bring in the New Year and to complete the list?  The aha moment, let’s make shortbread.  It goes well with champagne and you can dress them up easily.  I had been eyeing a recipe from Christina Tosi of Momofuku fame so here was my opportunity to try it.   A quick jaunt over to Sur La Table  for cookie cutters in the shape of a champagne flute and a bottle and for sprinkles, I’m good to go.  On the return home I popped in the movie The Holiday (put it in your Netflix queue now, its worth it just for the score by Hans Zimmer and Eli Wallach’s performance) and settled in to bake and bring in the New Year.

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This is a simple shortbread made with just four ingredients, butter, flour, brown sugar, and salt.  That’s it!  The cookie is the perfect foil for the icing which is made with sparkling wine.  I added a tiny pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla to round out the sweetness of the icing.  The cookie is elevated to a festive bite with the Rose’ icing and sugar sprinkles).  The icing’s a hint of pink and grown-up flavor courtesy of the Rose’.  I generally don’t decorate cookies (you might have noticed) but if not on New Year’s Eve, when else?  I  realize my New Year’s resolution should be to practice decorating cookies well before next New Year’s Eve!

Now that I have a beautiful platter of festive cookies the least I could do is share them.  So breaking with our usual tradition of a movie and falling asleep, we are headed to our friends Lisa and Mike’s house, cookies in hand plus the rest of the bottle of bubbly, to ring in the New Year!

Christina Tosi’s Cut-out cookies with Champagne Glaze can also  be found on Leite’s Culinaria.  Another great site for cooking tips and recipes!

Happy New Year everyone here’s to 2016!

A song to bring in the new year.  Here Comes the Sun as performed by James Taylor and Yo-Yo Ma

Champagne Shortbread
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Champagne Shortbread Christina Tosi

Ingredients

CHAMPAGNE GLAZED SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE

  • Quick Glance 45 M 2 H
  • Makes about 2 dozen

For the cut-out cookies

  • 2 sticks 8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for the work surface
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Champagne glaze

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup Champagne brut or rosé, plus more as needed
  • Sprinkles

Instructions

  • Cut-out cookies
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until well incorporated.
  • Add 2 1/4 cups flour and the salt and mix on low speed until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Flatten the dough into 2 evenly shaped disks or pancakes. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. (Don’t skip the chilling. It’s essential for the dough to be workable.)
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Remove 1 disk of dough from the refrigerator, dust on both sides with a sprinkling of flour (about 1/4 cup total) and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness with a rolling pin.
  • Cut the dough into your desired cookie shapes—I used Champagne flutes and bottles
  • Carefully transfer them to the baking sheet. (Lightly flour an offset spatula to make cookies easy to transfer from the counter to the baking sheet before baking.) The colder the dough, the easier it is to cut and transfer to the baking sheet, so work quickly. Repeat with the remaining disk of dough.
  • Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges. Let cool to room temperature. (You can freeze the cooled, undecorated cookies for up to 1 month.)
  • Make the Champagne glaze
  • Dump the confectioners’ sugar in a largish bowl and slowly whisk in the Champagne. If the glaze seems too stiff, add a little more Champagne, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. Whisk in the food coloring, if using.
  • Frost the cooled cookies with the Champagne glaze and, if desired, bring on the sprinkles.
  • You can store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for up to several days or in the freezer for up to several weeks.
  • You can make and bake the undecorated cookies ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. Let the cookies thaw completely and then slather with the Champagne glaze.

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Its a Dog’s Life

Its a Dog’s Life

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I was so confident I would plow through my Holiday Cookie List.  After all, I usually make a ton of holiday cookies.  But blogging about each recipe threw me for a loop..that and 20+ people for Christmas dinner!  But I am doggedly determined to complete my 12 days of Cookies even though Christmas has passed.  Finding myself in the doghouse for not completing my list made me think of Sammy which of course made me think of dog biscuits.  I found a really easy recipe on a favorite site, Use Real Butter.  Urb was one of the first blogs I started following and has definitely served as inspiration for my blog.  Absolutely gorgeous photos, great recipes and entertaining writing, it has it all.  A bonus of the blog are posts about their beautiful dogs, first Kaweah and now Neva both black labs.  If I were a dog I would want my family to be Jen and Jeremy, well, after us of course.

IMG_1254 These treats contain pumpkin, peanut butter, whole wheat flour and eggs thats it.  Simple, just four ingredients. Your mixer does all the work.  The dough is easy to roll out and cut.  Pop them in the oven and 20-30 minutes later you have treats for your favorite four legged friend.  Some dogs have allergies and this recipe does have wheat flour-just a heads up.  Various followers on Use Real Butter have used oat flour or rice flour with success.
Sammy, being part lab gobbles up almost everything we give him, these were no exception!  We baked them for 30 minutes for a nice crunchy biscuit.  Baking them less would yield a soft chewy biscuit that lasts approximately 3-5 days.  The drier version will last a bit longer.

 

 

 

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Pumpkin Peanut Butter Treats

Ingredients

From Use Real Butter

  • 2 1/2 cups whole Wheat flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 Tablespoons peanut butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ingredients in mixer bowl, blend on low speed until dough comes together and forms clumps. Remove from mixer and knead until it comes together. Add a little more flour if it seems too sticky.
  • Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on parchment or a silpat 20-30 minutes. 20 minutes will yield a soft chewy cookie while 30 minutes will a drier crunchy cookie. Store soft cookies in refrigerator or freezer. Drier cookies can be left out overnight to insure dryness and then stored in a container.

 
A Cool Minty Riff for #10 on the Holiday Cookie List

A Cool Minty Riff for #10 on the Holiday Cookie List

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Only 2 more cookies after this post for my holiday cookie list and COINCIDENTALLY there’s only 2 more days until Christmas.  Yikes, I’m cutting it pretty close!

When I’m in a grocery or cookware store I feel like a kid in a candy store.  I go bonkers.  It’s really not my fault, there is just too much STUFF out there to entice me.  Take chocolate chips, for example.  Back in the day you had  semi-sweet chocolate chips and that was it.  Now the chocolate chip universe has expanded to include milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and bittersweet.  They come mini, midi and maxi size, in chunks or bits.  It’s easily a 15 minute decision in the supermarket just picking chocolate chips!  And to make matters worse there are peanut butter chips,  butterscotch chips, and EVEN candy bars that come in chips.  The other day I found Andes Creme de Menthe Chips (the holy grail for mint and chocolate lovers), and it would have taken a stronger person than I to walk out without a bag…..or two.

And so, I give you Cookie number 10, The Andes Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie, right off the back the bag!  The dough is fairly soft and the cookies will spread quite a bit if not chilled before baking.  I used a tablespoon ice cream scoop to make cookies approximately 2.5 inches in diameter.  Bake the cookies on a Silpat to minimize spreading.  Baking time was around 9-10 minutes.

And a song to listen to while you’re baking these minty morsels, 12 Days of Christmas as sung by The Disney Princesses!

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Andes Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • Andes Crème de Menthe Chunk Cookies
  • Servings: 4 Dozen
  • Preheat oven to 350
  • • 1/2 cup salted butter softened
  • • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • • 2 eggs
  • • 1 package 10 oz Andes® Creme de Menthe Baking Chips
  • • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed.
  • Stir in baking chips or chopped candy and then flour.
  • Chill at least one hour in refrigerator.
  • Measure out approximately 1 ounce of dough.
  • Raise oven rack one level above middle and baking on non-stick cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 350-degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes.
  • Cool on pans for two minutes before removing.
Bam! Raspberry Lemon Thumbprints

Bam! Raspberry Lemon Thumbprints

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The kids are home!  These cookies disappeared crazy fast (which makes me happy).  Who doesn’t like a buttery, crumbly, tender shortbread-like cookie with a hint of citrus and filled with sweet, tart jam? Bah humbug if that’s you!

Here is Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas to launch this post!

 

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Bam, I LOVE Jam

I have a weakness for toast with butter and jam, PBJs and day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry jam.  Ok, so I’m cheating, it’s cranberry sauce but if it’s between slices of bread it’s jam to me.  My first-holiday cookie post highlighted Dorie Greenspan’s Jammers.  While they are worth the effort, there are times when you just need to bust out a batch of yummy cookies.  These thumbprint cookies fit the bill.  The recipe comes from Food Network, Emeril’s Holiday cookies.  Yes, THAT Emeril, BAM! Delicious cookie.  The original recipe calls for raspberry jam surrounded by a tender buttery cookie kicked up with lemon zest and juice.  Like many recipes, this one lends itself well to “alterations”.  I used orange zest and juice.   I’m sure just about any citrus juice and zest will work.   Dancing in my head?  Not sugarplums but visions of thumbprints made with lime + strawberry jam and lemon + blueberry jam .  Let me know if you come up with a winning combination.  Use your “jamagination”.

Jest Jammin’

The original recipe mixes liqueur with the jam, I skipped this step.  But a Chambord or Framboise would work well.  Just stir the liqueur, 1 tablespoon, into the jam before filling the cookies.  Chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour before forming cookies.  Form the cookies, place them on a cookie sheet, and chill again for approximately 10 minutes so that the sheets are cold and the dough is firm.  This helps the cookie from spreading too much.  I used a 1-ounce ice cream scoop to measure out the dough.  I might make them a little smaller for holiday gift-giving.  The cookies did not need the full 20 minutes of baking time.  Start checking at 13-15 minutes.  They will brown quickly.

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Raspberry Lemon Thumbprints

Bam! Raspberry Lemon Thumbprints adapted from Emeril!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Almond Cookies, emeril, jam, thumbprints
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 sticks 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest feel free to substitute orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Jam Finish

  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam or jam of choice, anything works

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment or silpat sheets
  • In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients, whisk to blend.
  • Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla and beat until well combined.
  • Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form.
  • Gather the dough together into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
  • Chill for 30 min-1 hour until dough firms up.
  • Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon press center of each ball making a depression. I use the end of a wooden spoon.
  • Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  • Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

 

 
Almond Cookies: Homage to Mrs. F

Almond Cookies: Homage to Mrs. F

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My brother-in-law’s mother passed away unexpectedly a few days ago.  Through the years we would see her at family functions and exchange pleasantries.  Every Christmas we were the lucky recipients of one of her signature pink cake boxes filled with a variety of delicious homemade holiday cookies.  We all had our favorites.  Me, I loved her almond cookies.  They were just like the ones in the windows of Chinatown bakeries, crumbly, full of almond flavor and finished with an almond pressed into the center.

Unfortunately I do not have her recipe but I do have one by Belinda Leong of B patisserie in San Francisco.  Bursting with almond flavor and buttery goodness this is an amazingly delicious cookie that for me pays tribute to Mrs. F.  Baking these lovely morsels conjures up the image of her pink boxes stacked on the holiday table. Most of all it reminds me of her warm smile and her kind and generous spirit.  She will be missed.

Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace)/Auld Lang Syne performed by Yo- Yo Ma and Chris Botti

 

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The recipe for these wonderful almond cookies is from Andrea Nguyen’s blog post Viet World Kitchen.  The recipe was first published in the book Chef’s Table by Carolyn Jung.  There were some glitches in the recipe and luckily food people are of the most generous spirit.  No sooner had I emailed Ms. Nguyen she responded answering all my questions and updating her website.  Here is the link to the recipe on her blog, Viet World Kitchen.  I weighed the flour using the 8.75 ounces and used 1/2 cup volume measurement for the sugar.  Start checking the cookies early. My batch only took 12 minutes to bake.  If you like crisp, buttery, almond flavored cookies..BAKE THESE, you won’t regret it.

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Almond Cookies

Buttery, crispy, full of almond flavor.  These cookies from B's Patisserie are a winner.
Course cookies
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Almond Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups 8.75 oz / 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 ounces 120 g almond paste
  • 1/2 cup 3.5 oz / 100 g sugar
  • 2 sticks 8 oz / 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 ounces 120 g sliced or chopped slivered almonds
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F (180 C / gas mark 4) with a rack in the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and soda. Set aside.
  • Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to make the dough. Cut the almond paste into thick slices or big chunks. Put them in the mixer with the sugar. On low speed, mix the ingredients together until the almond paste has broken up into big pea-like pieces.
  • Pause to add the butter. On medium-low speed, beat the ingredients until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined (you no longer see flour bits). Add the almonds and use the lowest speed (“Stir” on a Kitchen Aide) to mix into the dough.
  • Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small bowl or on your work surface. For slightly gnarly/textured cookies, pinch off balls of dough – each the size of a big cherry tomato (1.5 inch / 3.75 cm wide). Roll in powdered sugar, then place on the prepared sheet pan, spaced 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Flatten each ball slightly as you work. (If you want neater cookies, squeeze and roll the dough into a fat log and cut crosswise into pieces. Roll them into balls, coat in the sugar, etc. See the photo above.)
  • Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for several days.
Day 7: A Walk on the Savory Side (Parm shortbread)

Day 7: A Walk on the Savory Side (Parm shortbread)

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Jamie is back from Houston–the first one home for the holiday break!  Kids coming home means its time to stock the fridge and pantry.  Food 24-7!  I decided to make a big pot of soup to chase away the winter chill that has settled in.  One of Jamie’s favorites is Potato Leek Soup.  Flavorful, filling and easy to make plus there are infinite ways you can tweak this soup.  For this batch I added kohlrabi that not only sweetens the soup but gives it a slightly earthy finish. Think of kohlrabi as a cross between cabbage and broccoli.  You can also change up the stock.  I used chicken stock this time but you could use a vegetable stock, fish stock or clam juice and garnish it with crab meat for a “gussied up version”.

To keep up with the holiday cookie countdown, I made a savory cookie to go along with the soup.  I found a Parmesan Rosemary and Thyme Shortbread on Savory Simple,  adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.  This savory bite starts out much like a shortbread cookie but takes a turn with the addition of herbs, salt, a generous grind of pepper and parmesan cheese.  Variations include using different herbs, use all thyme, or add a dash of cayenne pepper or some lemon zest–infinite possibilities!  The cheese adds a nice finishing crunch to the cookie giving it the snap of a cracker.  This cookie not only goes well with soup but would be great on a cheese plate with a fig jam or pepper jelly as a foil.  Another holiday winner.  So for cookie number 7 Parmesan Herb Shortbread with Potato Leek Soup.  Enjoy!

And for your listening pleasure as you enjoy a hot bowl of soup and shortbread crackers…I Love the Winter Weather sung by the incomparable Tony Bennett!

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Parmesan, Thyme and Rosemary Shortbread

Ingredients

Adapted from Savory Simple and Ina Garten

Parmesan, Thyme, Rosemary Shortbread

  • 1/4 pound 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 3 ounces grated Parmesan
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Potato Leek soup

  • 3 leeks rinsed, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3-4 potatoes diced
  • 6-8 cups of stock chicken, seafood, or water
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream
  • S&P to taste

Optional:

  • 2-3 kohlrabi peeled and diced or broccoli stems from 1 bunch peeled and diced
  • chives
  • lump crab meat or sautéed wild mushrooms for garnish
  • pancetta or bacon salute until crisp and reserved for garnish

Instructions

For Shortbread:

  • Cream butter in mixer until smooth. Add Parmesan, flour, salt, herbs* and pepper and combine until dough begins to clump. Do not over mix.
  • *Experiment with different herbs. Decrease the amount of rosemary and increase thyme. Add grated lemon peel (1/2 tsp.) with rosemary.
  • Add a dash of cayenne pepper
  • Pour the dough onto a lightly floured board and roll into a 13-inch long log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden or chill in fridge until firm.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cut the log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the slices on a sheet pan and bake for approximately 22 minutes.

For soup:

  • Over medium heat, add 1 T oil + 1 T butter to 8 quart pot. Saute' onions until soft and transparent add garlic and saute' for additional minute. Add leeks, potatoes, kohlrabi if using, and stock. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Partially cover pot and simmer until vegetables are completely soft, about 45 minutes.
  • Using a hand blender or blender, puree soup until desired consistency. Completely smooth for a classic version or leave it a little chunky for a more rustic soup.
  • Add cream heat to warm through (for a lighter version omit cream.)
  • If soup is to thick, add broth to desired consistency
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Garnish with bacon, pancetta or chives and a dollop of creme fraiche' or crab meat if a seafood stock is used.