Tag: #12daysofcookies

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.
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.

 

 
Feed the World…Cookies! (Dorie’s Jammers)

Feed the World…Cookies! (Dorie’s Jammers)

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Is it December already?  Time to get in the holiday spirit.  In my book that means baking cookies and listening to holiday tunes.  I am an unabashed lover of Christmas music.  You won’t find me anywhere near a mall on Black Friday.  Instead, I’ll be home pulling out my favorite Christmas CDs and kicking back.  I’ll wait for CyberMonday to get serious about shopping.  For my first holiday season blogging, it seems fitting to create a top 12 days of Christmas cookies list with holiday tunes to go along.  If you have a tried and true delicious recipe you make every year, I would love to post it here to share with everyone.  Just email or message me on Facebook.  A virtual cookie swap!   Don’t forget to include your favorite Christmas song, a picture of your creation, and if there is a special story behind the recipe.

I’m Excited, Lets Get Started!

Do They Know It’s Christmas by Band Aid just for you.

 

Jammers

Just like her World Peace Cookie, this is another yummy cookie by Dorie Greenspan (how does she do it?) aptly named Jammers.  These edible jewels start with a tender shortbread cookie base topped with a nice dollop of jam and finished with a buttery, crumbly streusel topping.  Before Dorie released her recipe Tim of Lottie + Doof created his version.  The original Jammers are made in 3-inch ring molds.  I opt to make them smaller in mini-muffin tins, an idea I found on another blog. Either way, they are delicious.

A Couple of Tips When Making these Cookies

Feel free to use your favorite jam.  I often use a couple of different ones for the color appeal.  Butter or spray the tins well or the cookies will stick to the pan.  I use a tablespoon ice cream scoop to measure out the dough into each cup and lightly tamp the dough into the tins.  This is not like a tartlet or mini piecrust.  The dough should be a thick layer (~1/2 inch thick) filling approximately 2/3 of the cup.  I would leave some space at the top or the jam will spill out as the cookies bake.  Top with a generous sprinkle of streusel but try to leave spots of jam exposed.  It is prettier that way.

Go Big Or Go Home

Christmas Eve 2022: So I decided I wanted to get closer to the original Jammer, that is, a bigger cookie.  I pulled out my regular muffin tin to make Dorie’s Jammers.  Through experimentation, I settled on 25 grams of dough that I tamped into each muffin cup. Yep, no rolling and cutting.  This should give you a disc of dough about 1/2 inch thick that pretty much fills the tin.

The rest of the recipe is pretty much the same.  Baking time is a little longer, approximately 20-22 minutes until the edge is golden brown.

 

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Dorie Greenspan's Jammers

Ingredients

Adapted from Lottie & Doof's version of Dorie Greenspan's Jammers by Blackjack Bakehouse

Makes about 42 cookies

Cookie dough

  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt heaping
  • 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Streusel Topping

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt heaping
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Directions for dough:

  • In large bowl or in bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. With mixer on low, beat in egg yolks and vanilla until well blended, about one minute.
  • Add all of flour at once and with mixer on low, blend with butter mixture until just combined. Do not overmix! (I barely beat it in and then combined the last few streaks of flour with a spatula.)
  • Press dough into a mound and cover dough in bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the dough. Cover bowl tightly with more wrap or foil and chill for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

Directions for Streusel:

  • Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in microwave. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well-combined and pebbly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

When ready to bake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray thoroughly. These babies like to stick a little, so grease the cups well.
  • Break up the streusel crumb topping mixture with a fork until pebbly and set aside.
  • Press small mounds of cookie dough, about 1 tablespoon-size, into each cup as though making a thick cookie crust (as opposed to a thin pie crust that will just crumble when you try to remove it from the mini muffin pan). The crust should come up to just below the rim of the cup and there should be a small indention in each cup for the filling.
  • Place about 1 teaspoon of jam/pie filling in each indentation, then top the filled cookies with a generous sprinkle of streusel mixture.
  • Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the top edges of the cookies are golden brown and the crumb mixture is golden.
  • Allow cookies to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and allow to cool directly on wire rack until completely cool.
  • Store, uncovered or lightly covered, at room temperature