Shortbread Cookies with Pink Peppercorns

Shortbread is something that I am not sure I would have made.  I don't recall eating it while growing up and haven't been necessarily drawn to it.  But Dan loves it and so it has found its way into my life.  Every now and then we have a conversation about foods we didn't care for or completely pass on before one of us made the other give it a try.

I am certainly glad the shortbread cookies, or biscuits if you prefer, made their way into our recipe box - yum!

This shortbread recipe was a good find.  It is super simple but with very yummy results.  For summer baking it is great as the oven doesn't get too hot.  I didn't have a pan with a removable bottom on hand so just did the trick of lining an 8x8 pan with foil- worked like a charm. 

Since the butter really shines here, I would use the highest quality butter your local market carries.  I add some vanilla bean seeds and a sprinkling of pink peppercorns, which are a nice unexpected touch giving this classic a nice little lift.

I will definitely be making these again.  They are tasty and pretty enough to share, if they last long enough.

Twice-baked Shortbread

Original recipe from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich, slightly adapted from Lovely Morning

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and still warm
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (6.75 ounces if you’re weighing) all purpose flour
a few pink peppercorns, crushed

plus turbinado or demerara sugar for sprinkling

And a baking pan with a removable bottom, like a round or rectangular fluted tart pan. If you don’t have a tart pan, you can line a regular square pan with a sheet of foil so you can lift the finished shortbread out in one piece.

Split your vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into a medium bowl, stir with the sugar.  Stir in the melted butter, the vanilla extract and salt. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. It will be really really buttery! Spread the dough evenly in the pan, sprinkle on the crushed pink peppercorn. Let rest for at least 2 hours, or if possibly overnight. (No need to refridgerate).

Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake shortbread for 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, leaving the oven on. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the shortbread with sugar. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Remove the shortbread from the pan (v. v. carefully!). Use a thin sharp knife to cut wedges or fingers or squares. Place the pieces slightly apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes, until it’s golden brown.

Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Snickerdoodles

One of my favorite Chrismas presents this year was the Betty Crocker Cooky Book.  I used to cook from this book when I was young so there is a bit of nostalgia but also I just love the retro style in the writing and photos.  It is entertaining to read.

 

I also appreciate the very simple, straightforward recipes.  Mix this, add that and bake.  Decidely non-fussy.

These Snickerdoodles are so simple but also so good.  They did not last long in our house.  With these both Dan and I prefer them more on the soft end of the spectrum so I kept the baking time to the minimum. My biggest adjustment was to use all butter instead of part shortening and part butter.

 

Snickerdoodles

Adapted from Betty Crocker Cooky Book

• 1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl sift together flour, salt, soda, cream of tartar and set aside.

Mix butter and sugar.  Then mix in eggs, one at a time, thoroughly. Stir in flour mixture.

Shape dough in 1" balls; using a scoop helps keep the size consistent and speed this up.  Roll the balls in mixture of sugar and cinnamon; use organic cane sugar for a bit more texture than granulated sugar.

Place 2' apart on ungreased baking sheet; bake 8 to 10 minutes, they will be a light color.  If your oven is tempermental like mine keep an eye on them at 7 minutes.  Don't over-bake for a soft cookie!

Makes 5-6 dozen.

Enjoy!

~Tara

Molasses Spice Crisps

Have you sworn off all baked goodness now that the holidays are over?  While I commend such discipline, I personally can't (or don't want to) cut out little treats.  Baking up a batch of spiced cookies is the perfect way to warm up the house when it is about 17 degrees outside. 

These Molasses Spice Crisps are full of flavor.  And they freeze well so no need to completely wreck havoc on any new year resolutions.  But they also would be completely lovely crushed up and used as a topping for vanilla frozen yogurt.

While I like a hint of cloves, Martha's recipe had a bit too much for me so I modified her spices.  Also, I rolled mine in organic cane sugar instead of regular granulated sugar.  The cane sugar gives a very pretty sparkle to the cookie as it is a bit more coarse than granulated but finer than turbinado sugar.

Molasses Spice Crisps

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes about 40 cookies (depends on the size)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (or parchment paper); set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine shortening and 1 cup sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and molasses, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat on low to combine.
3. Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, form balls of dough. Roll dough balls between the palms of your hands until smooth. Roll in organic cane sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in the center and begin to crack, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once after 5 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool, 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Orange Thumbprint Cookies

Every year as the weather begins to get cold I start to crave citrus fruits.  Oranges have a lovely baking flavor.

For these cookies we made the filling for the center but really a nice marmalade would be quite lovely.  I think I tend to prefer the use of a jam as it has a nice finish to it after being baked.   If you do make these and use the filling below, it is a bit more runny than jam so it is helpful to keep the impressions centered with a high enough wall to prevent it from running over the edge.  If the fill spills out the bottoms end up a much deeper brown.

And of course thumpbrint cookies are great for interaction.  I would roll them into the balls and then Dan would make the impression in the center. 

 Orange Thumpbrints

Source: Martha Stewart, Holiday Sweets edition 2009

For the dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt (Kosher works well)

For the filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add yoks and vanilla, beat for 1 minute.  Reduce speed to low; beat in flour and salt until combined. Coverbowl with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper; lightly coat with cooking spray.  Whisk together granulated sugar, flour, and egg.  Stir in zest, juice, and salt.

Form balls of dough (equal to 2 teaspoons), and place on prepared sheets, about 1 inche apart.  With the handle of a wooden spoon, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation.  Bake 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and press centers again if the indentations lose definition. Spoon filling into centers.  Continue baking until cookies are light brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes more.  Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool completely before dusting with confectioners' sugar. 

Cookies can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

While we made these as part of our holiday baking, they would be great anytime.  And certainly would be a cute addition to a winter birthday party.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies

Who doesn't love a good cookie every now and then!?  I tend to avoid making cookies very often as I will subsiquently eat way too many of them and put them in the freezer is not a full deterent.  But one can always drop off a portion of the batch in the company kitchen (if you work in technology they will be gone before you know it) or give them to neighbors or take them as a little gift to give when visiting a friend.  So there are ways to minimize the impact to the waistline... Oh and you also can find recipes in Cooking Light.

I had the craving for cookies yesterday and so pulled out of my recipes to try binder (which is filled with pages torn out of magazines from the past few years) a fairly light recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies.  The description was definitely making my mouth water with phrases like "buttery and sweet with a hint of spice."  And for bonus points they only have 105 calories per cookie!  Very nicely done, Cooking Light!

The recipe is really quite easy and I didn't even make adjustments as the flavoring sounds perfect with vanilla and cinnamon.  I suppose you could add a little nutmeg to make the hint of spice more fall-like.  They are lovely with an afternoon coffee or tea.

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies

Source Cooking Light

1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place granulated sugar and butter in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add corn syrup, vanilla, and egg; beat 3 minutes or until well blended.

Lightly spoon cake flour and all-purpose flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape dough into 48 balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until golden on bottom. Cool on wire racks.

These cookies are so tasty and have the perfect bit of crunch vs chewy.  Enjoy!

~ Tara

Zucchini Cookies

During a recent trip to my parent's farm I had the urge to bake so found myself flipping through my mom's cookbooks.  It felt a little bit like I stepped back 20 years as those Betty Crocker cookbooks from the sixies were how I killed time many, many afternoons when I was a kid and "running down to the garden" for ingredients was a daily task.  When I landed on the recipe for Zucchini Cookies with a Lemon Frosting I was intrigued and so had to try them.  And of course take the subsequent trip down to the garden for the zucchini.

They are really quite wonderful.  Light, moist, and almost spongy in texture with a hint of fall in the nutmeg that is balanced by the tart of the frosting.  I was happy to come across this little recipe as it is a nice break from the traditional cookie flavors.

Zucchini Cookies

Adapted from Betty Crocker

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all -purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sugars, butter, and eggs in a mixing bowl.  Sift together in a medium sized bowl the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  Stir the flour mixture in with the butter mixture.  Add the remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  After they cool frost with Lemon Frosting.

Lemon Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix powdered sugar, margarine, and lemon peel. Beat in lemon juice; stir in additional lemon juice or water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until spreading consistency.  Use water to thin if you prefer a little less tartness.

Enjoy!

- Tara