RECIPE: How about a cookie swap? REC: Anise Scented Fig & Date Swirls...

RECIPE:
C

charlie

Well-known member
ANISE-SCENTED FIG AND DATE SWIRLS

Ingredients:

1 cup dried figs, packed, soft, stemmed, chopped

1 cup pitted dates, packed, trimmed and chopped

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons anise seeds, ground in an electric mill

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, (1/2 cup) softened

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup granulated raw sugar, such as turbinado

Directions:

1. PurÈe figs and dates with water and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until almost smooth. Whisk together flour, anise, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter, cream cheese, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderate speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and yolk until combined well. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined.

2. Halve dough and form each half into a rectangle. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.

3. Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 9- by 7-inch rectangle, about 1/3 inch thick. Remove top sheet of wax paper and drop half of fig mixture by spoonfuls onto dough, then gently spread in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edges. Starting with a long side and using wax paper as an aid, roll up dough jelly-roll style into a log. Roll log in raw sugar to coat completely. Make another log in same manner. Chill logs, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, at least 4 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350∞F.

5. Cut logs crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and arrange slices about 2 inches apart on lightly buttered baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, 15 to 17 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool.

6. Source: "Gourmet,September 1996" Yield: "3 dozen cookies"

Notes:

NOTES : ï Logs can be chilled up to 3 days. ï Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature, 1 week.

You might be tempted to bake 2 sheets of cookies at a time in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Don't give in to this urge ó the cookies must go in the middle of the oven to cook through and brown evenly.

 
REC: Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

I tried these recently and they were oh so good!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Total Time: 2 hr 50 min
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 2 hr 20 min
Cook: 15 min
Yield: 44 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
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Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe.html

 
I'm making Dahlia Bakery's Peanut butter filled cookies for our swap in 2 wks

I've posted an altered version bcause I want to check my notes at home. This was one of the cookies I made this summer for my brother's retirement party. Very good, but I had several emails conversations with the Dahlia bakery pastry chef Shelley Lance and she warned me that the book version had conversion errors.

I'll post her correct version, which THIS linked one might be, as the publisher was suppose to correct the errors.

UPDATED 11/30/2015: I checked my errata list for this recipe. Most of the errors were in gram conversions, so those are okay since the linked recipe lists volume. The cookie dough should actually have 1 C plus 6 TBL of butter, but I made them using the "incorrect amount (1 C + 2 TBL) and mine ended up fine. A bit soft, so perhaps the extra butter makes them crispier? Not sure. The recipe seems very forgiving.

http://pinchandswirl.com/2015/03/peanut-butter-sandwich-cookies/

 
Good so far. REC: Cranberry Noels...

Cranberry Noels

Recipe By: Kara Kuster
Serving Size: 60

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or dark rum
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut meat, shredded

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat until just combined. Gradually add flour, cranberries, and pecans. Mix on low speed until fully combined.

2. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 8-inch logs, about 2 inches in diameter. Roll logs in coconut, pressing lightly to coat the outside of logs. Wrap logs in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Store up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

4. Source: "Martha Stewart Living" Yield: "5 Dozen" Start to Finish Time: "3:00" T(Baking Time): "0:12"

 
Rec: Chocolate Espresso Crinkles

Chocolate Espresso Crinkles

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
1-1/3 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup powdered sugar for rolling
1 cup granulated sugar for rolling

In a stainless steel bowl set over the top of a smaller simmering pot of water (double boiler) melt bittersweet chocolate over a low simmer. When mostly melted, give a quick stir and set aside off of the heat.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and brown sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix to combine.

With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

The dough should be pretty thick and heavy now. Leave it in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for chilling (preferably 2 hours minimum).

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Remove the dough when it is properly chilled and using either a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop heaping tbsp of dough then roll them in your hands to create a ball (about the size of a ping pong ball). Drop it into a bowl of granulated sugar and roll it around to cover. Transfer to a bowl of powdered sugar and roll it around again. Place it on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing each cookie about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 11-13 minutes or until the tops crack and cookie is set. Remove from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Source: Ramekins cookie class Dec. 2008

Pat’s notes: These are delicious.

 
Rec: Best Ever Ginger Snaps

Best Ever Ginger Snaps

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
sugar for dusting (we used raw sugar in class)

Cream the butter and sugar until light (Joanne said this will take a while, get it nice and creamy and light). Add the vanilla, egg and molasses and mix well. Stir together the dry ingredients and mix into the wet ingredients.

Make into two 8-inch long, 2-inch diameter rolls and wrap in plastic wrap (or roll in parchment paper, works great). Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove and place in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes until well chilled.

Preheat an oven to 375ºF. Butter baking sheets (we used Silpat mats or parchment paper in class to line the baking sheets). Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices and place on baking sheets, 1-inch apart (I recommend a bit farther apart, they tend to spread). Sprinkle the tops with sugar (Pat’s note: sprinkle heavily with the sugar). Bake until golden around the edges but still soft, 6 to 10 minutes. Makes 5 dozen.

Source: Joanne Weir class, Dec. 2007

Pat’s notes: These are delicious. Joanne said this was a Chez Panisse recipe, from when she worked there and said it’s not in any books. She said if you want a softer, chewier cookie bake like about 6 minutes or so. For crunchier, go longer, like toward 10 minutes. About the yield, we didn’t get 5 dozen in class, more like about 4 dozen. Day 2 note: Having one of these gingersnaps with morning coffee and find the spices have mellowed out slightly....this cookie is not as spicy as other gingersnaps I’ve had, though still verrry good. A friend made ice cream sandwiches using these gingersnaps. She freezes the cookies first then puts on a scoop of vanilla ice cream (Costco’s Kirkland is her fave but Trader Joes is a close second) then gently presses together.

 
Rec: Salted Peanut Butter Cookies

Salted Peanut Butter Cookies from award winning chef Autumn Martin of Hot Cakes.

I couldn't believe I baked these. They're wonderful. I used Justin's All Natural Peanut Butter (from Whole Foods) I want to make these again soon and I may leave out the addition of chocolate in half the batter. Honestly I didn't notice it, so it seems like a waste.

Enjoy!

http://orangette.blogspot.com/2011/10/out-on-this-limb.html

 
REC: Hazelnut Chewies...

Hazelnut Chewies

Recipe By: Cook's Country
Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups Nutella spread
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and chopped fine
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat Nutella, butter, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, espresso, and eggs and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and milk, and mix until just combined. Fold in ½ cup hazelnuts and refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Place remaining hazelnuts in bowl. Add confectioners’ sugar to another bowl. One at a time, roll dough into 1-inch balls, roll in hazelnuts, then roll in confectioners’ sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until set, about 8 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Notes:

Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread that can be found near the peanut butter in most grocery stores; you will need one 13-ounce jar for this recipe. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

 
Rec: Butterballs aka Snowballs

Butterballs aka Snowballs

1 cup soft butter or margarine
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling balls in
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I usually use walnuts or pecans)

Mix together powdered sugar with butter or margarine and vanilla extract. Sift together flour and salt and add to first mixture. Stir in nuts. Chill dough in refrigerator. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2-1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until set but not brown, approximately 10-12 minutes. While warm, after removing from oven, roll balls in powdered sugar. Place on waxed paper to cool. Then roll in powdered sugar again.

I’m told this recipe can be used in a cookie press also but I have not done this.

Source: This is one of my favorite holiday cookies my mom made when I was growing up.

 
Maria, speaking of peanut butter cookies, do you remember these from the Flo Braker class we took

soooo many years ago? They were yummy.

Peanut Butter Petal Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sanding sugar
Hershey’s mini kisses, optional

Adjust rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Stir in flour and salt to combine in a small bowl; set aside. Beat butter, peanut butter and sugars in a large bowl until very creamy and well blended. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture.

Follow manufacturer’s directions for inserting desired design plate and filling cookie press. When filling metal cylinder with dough, pack it firmly. Cover any unused dough with plastic wrap. (If you aren’t using all the dough at one time, refrigerate unused portion; bring to room temperature before piping.)

Press out cookies, spacing them about 1 inch apart. If you wish, decorate with sanding or pearl sugar. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or just until the cookie’s edges are barely golden. Press a mini Hershey kiss in center of each cookie (or pipe a tiny dot of ganache in each center). Cool completely before storing in an airtight metal container for up to one week. Yield: 6 dozen, depending on disc’s design.

Source: class with Flo Braker, author of Sweet Miniatures

Pat’s notes from class: Can substitute 2 tbsp butter or cream cheese instead of the 1/3 cup peanut butter. Insert disc into cookie press so that the convex part of the disc is on the outside of the cookie press. In class, Flo demonstrated the ease of piping the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet or smooth silpat mat. Do not use parchment or foil as the dough sticks undesirably when piping. Sanding sugar and pearl sugar are large-grained decorative sugars available in specialty cooking stores.

More Pat’s notes: I especially like these with the mini Hershey kisses. Press the kiss into the center of the cookie dough then bake. Yummy.

 
I do! Was just thinking about the cake. REC: Sticky Toffee Pudding (Cake) Timbales with Caramel Sauc

Sticky Toffee Pudding (Cake) Timbales with Caramel Sauce
from Flo Braker class Pat and I took. smileys/smile.gif It was under consideration for Thanksgiving.

Yield 1 8-inch square cake or 12 cupcakes.

Date Puree:
1 1/4 c (7 oz) Chopped dates - if using pre-packaged dates rinse off sugar
3/4 c water

Toffee Sauce:
1 c packaged light brown sugar
3/4 c heavy cream
2 T unsalted butter
1 t vanilla

Cake:
1 1/2 c unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2-1 t baking powder (recipe called for 1 t, but Flo prefers 1/2 t)
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
6 T unsalted butter
3/4, plus 2 T packed soft dark brown (or muscovado*) sugar
3 “smaller” large eggs, beaten lightly
1 t pure vanilla extract

Date puree: Simmer the dates in the water over low heat for about 10 minutes or until dates are soft and the mixture is homogeneous; set aside.

Toffee sauce: Combine sugar, cream, and butter in saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer, stirring for 5 minutes. Off heat add vanilla. Serve warm.

Cake: Adjust rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square baking pan (or a 12 cup, 1/2 cup capacity, cupcake pan). Line bottom of pan or cups with parchment paper (cupcake papers are fine for the cups).

Using an electric mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy, stop mixer and scrape bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla. At very low speed, add the flour mixture; stop mixer and scrape bowl occasionally. Gently stir in the date puree, blending thoroughly. Spoon the batter into the square baking pan or equally into each cupcake (filling each 3/4 full); spread evenly. TIP from Flo: spread batter a little high on the sides because they get hotter than the middle. (When cake came out of the oven it was flat instead of poofed up in the middle).

Bake about 35 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes) or just until the cakes feel firm to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out free of cake. Remove from oven to a cooling rack. Cool upright in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pan(s). Cool completely before serving.

To assemble: Trim outside edges of cake (or cupcakes), cut in half horizontally. Place bottom layer back into the square baking pan (or cupcake pan) and spread 1/3 cup of the sauce over the layer; center the other layer on top.

Wrap pudding cake(s) in aluminum foil and store at room temperature for up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 10 days. If frozen, thaw partially, and reheat in a 325 degree oven for 12 to 20 minutes or just until steaming. Then cut square cake into equal square servings and top with remaining toffee sauce. Serve pudding with ice cream.

*Muscovado sugar is a type of very dark brown sugar that Flo showed us in class. It has a very dense color and strong sweet smell.

 
Paula Deen does a version of these. She adds maraschino cherries. I use the dried...

...Montmorency Tart Cherries instead of the maraschinos. They balance the sweetness of the cookie terrifically.

Michael

 
My mostest, favorite-est cookie EVER!. . .

I love them small, made with butter, gotta have the salt in the dough (like this recipe) and with walnuts (walnuts are richer with oil; mo' richer, mo' bettah!). I love when they are just big enough to fit in my mouth and then they crumble and melt in my mouth!

Also, this is the one cookie, especially, that I remember, as a childe, my mother making from an old double-page add from a magazine she had torn out and saved. Goodness, I wish I still had that battered old ad. . .

 
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