Day 2 of 12 days of Cookies. I am off to a slow start, having posted the first cookie just days ago. But I promise, this cookie will make up for the wait. I found a delicious cookie 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 for a delicious sandwich cookie. Perfect for a holiday cookie platter.
The cookies are made with Bird’s Custard Powder, an English invention. A thickening agent similar to cornstarch, it gives the cookies their sandy texture. Annatto powder is added to create a lovely yellow-orange hue. You can find Bird’s Custard Powder in most local Indian supermarkets; you can use cornstarch, but I love the color of the custard powder.
The dough comes together quickly. Dry ingredients are sifted into a bowl, then the butter is cut into it. The mixture starts very dry and crumbly, but after adding the vanilla and increasing the mixer speed, 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 to make the buttercream. The berries provide both flavor and color. Can’t wait until rhubarb is in season.
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 (70gm)*
- 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 instead of custard powder
Instructions
For the rhubarb buttercream:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Spread rhubarb out on the lined baking tray. Roast for 30 minutes or until softened.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before transferring to a food processor or blender.
- Blend to a puree, then add butter, sifted icing sugar, lemon juice, and continue to blend for a couple of minutes; it seems like a long time, but you want the buttercream to thicken, which it will do as it’s whipped.
- Transfer to a small bowl and chill in the fridge to firm up as you make the yoyos.
For the Yoyos:
- Preheat your oven to 325F
- Sift flour, custard powder (or cornstarch), powdered sugar, and salt into a mixer bowl with paddle attachment in place. Combine on low speed briefly. Add unsalted butter and continue to beat on low speed until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Add vanilla extract and increase the mixer speed to medium, beating for about 30 seconds until dough comes together.
- Forming the cookies – your dough may seem too dry, not to worry, it will come together. Using your hands, grab about a tbsp worth of dough, then squeeze, and roll the dough together in your hands as you would play-dough until it resembles a ball. It will be approximately 1 inch in diameter. I use a #60 ice cream scoop to dole out the dough. You should have about 30 balls.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1.5 inches apart, using a fork lightly dipped in flour, gently but firmly press the prongs down into the middle of each cookie (not all the way through). Cookies will be about 1.5 inches in diameter with pronounced grooves from the fork.
- Bake for 25 minutes; the cookies will be dry on the bottom but should not be too browned. They will be relatively fragile when warm but still firm to the touch. Leave the cookies on their baking sheets to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Sandwich pairs of cookies together with the buttercream, with the “forked” sides facing outward. Use approximately 1/2 ounce (15gm) of icing per cookie.