Category: Dessert – Cookies

Servings: 16
Source: fine cooking #23
Yields twelve or sixteen wedges.

Adding an egg yolk to this shortbread gives it a softer, less sandy texture.

Ingredients
FOR THE SHORTBREAD:
1/4 lb (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temp; more for the pan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 oz (1/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1/4 tsp table salt
1 lg egg yolk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 oz (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour

FOR THE GLAZE:
3 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (a generous 1/2 cup)
1 oz (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into two pieces
1/2 cup (2 oz.) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted and cooled, or chopped pistachios

Directions
MAKE THE SHORTBREAD: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
In a medium bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Scrape the bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating on medium until just combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed, scraping the bowl as needed, until the dough begins to clump together, about 1 minute. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, scattering the pieces of dough evenly. Using your fingertips (lightly floured, if necessary), pat the dough onto the bottom (not up the sides) of the prepared pan to create an even layer. Bake until the top no longer looks wet and the dough just barely begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 25 minutes.
SHORTLY BEFORE THE SHORTBREAD IS DONE, MAKE THE GLAZE: Melt the chocolate and butter on the stove or in a microwave. Stir until smooth. When the shortbread is done, transfer the pan to a rack. Pour the warm glaze over the shortbread and, using an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Scatter the nuts evenly over the glaze and gently press them in. Let cool completely until the glaze is set. Remove the shortbread from the tart pan and cut it into 12 or 16 wedges. Serve at room temperature.

Servings: 4 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: NY Times
Adapted from “The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread” by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree (Wiley, 2008)

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cup cake flour or more all-purpose flour (cake flour gives a finer texture)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
2 packed tsp freshly grated orange zest
1 lg egg plus 2 lg egg yolks, at room temp
FOR THE ICING (SEE NOTE):
1 orange
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 Tbsp whole milk
2 drops almond or vanilla extract
Pinch fine salt.

Directions
1. Position two oven racks in top and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. In a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and orange zest at medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Add egg and mix. Add one egg yolk and mix. Add remaining egg yolk and mix. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

3. Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving more than 1 inch between cookies. Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flatten to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Leave any ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth the edges.

4. Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

5. When ready to serve, make icing: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest, and cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain. Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons milk. Whisk in more milk if needed to make mixture thin enough to spread. Add extract, salt and zest, and whisk to combine.

6. Place cookies on a rack and drizzle icing over each one (make sure there is some orange zest in each spoonful). Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.

Note: Instead of icing, cookies can be sprinkled with coarse crystal sugar before baking.

Servings: —
Preheat: 375°
Cook Time: 13 min
Source: Alice Medrich
Awesome cookies, exactly as the author’s saying – “noisily crunchy, light, addictive”. The recipe is by Alice Medrich. I just used a bit more seeds since the stated amount wasn’t quite enough.

Ingredients
1 tbsp black sesame seeds or poppy seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
¼ cup coarse raw sugar, such as Demerara

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp bourbon

Directions
Center the oven rack and preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the seeds and coarse sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda,and salt in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly.

With a spoon in a medium bowl or with a mixer, mix the butter with the granulated sugar until smooth and well blended but not fluffy. Add the egg and bourbon and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop (or just a tablespoon), measure out the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Press each ball into the seed mixture on both sides, flattening the ball to about 1/2-inch thick. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies, in batches, for about 14 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Set the baking sheet or just the parchment on rack to cool. Cool completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an air-tight container for at least 2 weeks.

Servings: —
Preheat: 325°
Cook Time: 30 min
Source: Fine Cooking 68, pp. 65
recipeNotes: I don’t frost these brownies
These are very chocolatey and rich, which is why I like
to cut them into smaller, bite-size squares.

Ingredients
9 oz (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
3/4 lb (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter; more for the pan
3 oz (1 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch- processed)
3 cup very firmly packed light brown sugar
4 lg eggs
2 Tbsp coffee-flavored liqueur (I use Kahlúa) or 1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 Tbs. light corn syrup

Directions
Tip: For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325° F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to blend. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar until blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just blended. Whisk in the coffee liqueur along with the last egg. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few small, moist clumps sticking to it, about 30 minutes. (Don’t over bake, or the squares won’t be Fudgy.) Transfer the pan to a rack to let cool completely.

Make the chocolate glaze:

In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a microwave or over barely simmering water, whisking until smooth. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cooled, uncut fudge bars. Using an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly to cover completely. Refrigerate until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Cut into 1-inch squares.

Servings: 2 doz
Preheat: 350°
Be sure to bake these cookies on a cookie sheet, not a rimmed baking sheet ; otherwise, they’ll bake too slowly, the dough will spread, and the cookies won’t retain a nice, round shape.

Ingredients
8 1/2 oz. (1 3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/2 lb. (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar; more for coating
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to blend. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the egg and vanilla until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, slowly blend in the flour mixture until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into a bowl of granulated sugar and roll to coat; then set the coated balls 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center, 15 to 18 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a rack to cool.
The cookies can be stored an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Servings: —
Preheat: 375°
Source: From Lee Shapiro in Ames, Iowa

Ingredients
1 c. butter
1/2# cream cheese
1/4t. salt
2 c. flour
2T. sugar

Filling:
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
chopped nuts, plumped raisins

Directions
Cream butter and cream cheese. Add dry ingredients and mix until dough is formed. It will be sticky. Divide into 14 portions and form into balls. Chill overnight.

Roll each ball into a circle and divide into fourths, making 4 triangles. Take 1 triangle and put about 1 t. of the cinnamon sugar, some nuts, and raisins (4/6) at the wide end of the triangle. Fold each side over the filling and roll from the wide end to the point. Shape into a crescent.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes (or until lightly browned) on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Servings: 4 doz
Preheat: 400°
Source: From Nancy Baggett, the International Cookie Cookbook
Makes 40 1½- to 1 ¾-inch cookies.

Middle Eastern in origin, this cookie is now a part of the food culture of many Israelis. It was brought to the young nation by Ashkenazic Jews when they left the countries of Eastern Europe.

The recipe features a tender cream cheese pastry dough and a delicious, not­too-sweet walnut and raisin filling. The cookies are formed by rolling up tiny wedges spread with the filling mixture. There are a number of Eastern European rolls and cookies, including poppy seed-filled cookies (see page 230), that are shaped this way.

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups all-purpose or unbleached white flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
3 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened
¼ teaspoon very finely grated lemon zest

FILLING
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup clover honey, or other mild honey
1 cup dark seedless raisins, chopped moderately fine
¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ cups finely chopped walnuts

Directions
Thoroughly stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Place the butter, cream cheese, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and well blended. Gradually beat in dry ingredients until incorporated, but do not overmix.

Divide the dough in half. Place each half between large sheets of waxed paper, and roll each out with a rolling pin into an evenly thick circle about 11 inches in diameter, checking the underside and smoothing out any creases in the waxed paper. The circles needn’t be perfectly round, but keep the edges fairly even. Stack the dough sheets on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until cold and slightly firm but not hard.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease several baking sheets and set aside.

To prepare the filling, combine sugar, cinnamon, honey, raisins, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl and stir until well mixed; set aside.

Working with one chilled dough portion at a time and leaving the other refriger­ated, carefully peel off the top sheet of waxed paper, and replace it loosely. Turn dough over and gently peel off and set aside bottom sheet of waxed paper. Using a long-bladed spatula or blunt knife, spread half the filling evenly over the round to within ¼ inch of the edge. Sprinkle half the chopped walnuts evenly over the fill­ing. Cover the dough round with the reserved waxed paper and gently pat down to lightly imbed nuts in the filling. Return dough to the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the second dough round from the refrigerator and top with filling and nuts as before. Return second round to the refrigerator.

Discard top sheet of waxed paper from the first dough round. Using a large sharp knife, cut the round into quarters, then cut each quarter into 5 equal wedges. Working from the outer edge of a wedge toward its center, tightly roll up each wedge to form a cookie. (If the dough cracks or seems stiff, it is too cold; let the round stand a minute or two to soften before trying to roll up wedges again. If the dough becomes too soft to roll, place the round on a baking sheet and return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes.) Continue rolling until all 20 cookies are formed, and space on baking sheets about 1¼ inches apart with the points of the
wedges tucked underneath to prevent un­rolling. Repeat cutting and rolling process with the second dough round until all cookies are formed.

Place in the center of the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until cookies are just slightly colored on top and lightly browned at the edges. Remove baking sheets from the oven and immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Rugelach are best when very fresh but, may be stored in an airtight container for 2 or 3 days. Freeze for longer storage.

Servings: —
Source: Barbara Berman’s recipe

Ingredients
1¼ C canola oil
4 eggs
1½ C sugar
4 C flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla

Optional (1 C of something)
1 C sliced almonds
1 C halved walnuts
1 C chocolate chips (or white chocolate)
1 C dried cherries, cranberries, currants

Directions
Beat oil, eggs, sugar. Add dry ingredients by hand. Add vanilla and “optional” cup of something. Divide into 6 rolls. Place on ungreased parchment-lined cookie sheets with enough room to spread out a bit. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375°F. Remove from oven to board. Slice each roll crosswise into 1” wide cookies. Return to oven to toast for about 10 minutes until light brown.

Keep in covered tin indefinitely.