Saturday, December 18, 2010

Christmas Cookies, Part VI


As soon as I saw the recipe for these, I knew I had to make them. They sounded so unusual, and I love savory and sweet together in desserts. They come from a bakery in New York called Baked, which has a ton of unique sweets that I'm dying to try out (next baking session: spicy chipotle brownies).

Sadly, we have come to the end of my Christmas baking spree. The rest of the week I'll be posting some super-healthy curries to offset the effects of eating practically nothing but cookies for a few weeks.


Apricot-Rosemary Squares
For the rosemary dough:
1 1/2 sticks = 3/4 cup = 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of half a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 3/4 cups flour

For the apricot filling:
2 cups (230g) California dried apricots
1 1/2 cups water or white wine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brandy
pinch of salt

For the crumb topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans or almonds, coarsely chopped
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edge.

2. Make rosemary dough: cream butter with powdered sugar and salt. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and rosemary, then gradually add flour, mixing until the dough is smooth.

3. Transfer the dough to the baking pan and pat it flat into the bottom. Chill 30 minutes.

4. Make apricot filling: combine apricots, water, sugar, honey, brandy, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Let cool for a few minutes, stirring, then puree in a blender until smooth (I just mashed mine up with a whisk right in the pot. There is no way I'm going to wash syrupy apricot jelly out of a blender by hand).

5. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake shortbread for 20-25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

7. Make crumb topping: mix together flour, sugar, nuts, salt, and butter until the mixture just barely starts clumping together.

8. Spread the apricot filling over shortbread, then top with crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then slice. The bars can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Christmas Cookies, Part V

I'm back!

By this point you might have noticed that nearly all the cookies I make are either bars or slice-and-bakes. Why? Because spending an hour or so individually scooping and shaping drop cookies is just so tedious, that's why. However, a particularly delicious cookie can sometimes triumph over my laziness... and these peanut butter cookies definitely fall into that category.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Note: I recommend using crunchy peanut butter so you get three different levels of peanut-y goodness.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick = 1/2 cup = 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar (I left this step out)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Exams Interrupt Life (Film at Eleven)

Since I have nearly all my exams this week it's unlikely that I'll be posting any recipes until Wednesday, but stay tuned for the rest of the Christmas cookies and some other stuff.

Here's a gratuitous picture of a steak sandwich instead:

It was amazing.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Christmas Cookies, Part IV


So. Delicious.

Picture everything you love about cheesecake. Now picture everything you love about gooey, fudgy brownies. Now put them together in one bar. I think in this case the whole is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

This is the original recipe. I one-and-a-halfed the brownie base and left the cheesecake as it was, then baked it in a 9x13. Oh, and I left out the chocolate chips. Turned out great.

Cheesecake-Swirled Brownies
Brownie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake batter
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Plus
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Make brownie batter: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and chocolate by placing the mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter: Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. (I found this harder than it sounds. I guess I'll have to practice some more to get a really lovely marbled effect)

Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.

Bake brownies: Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slicing tip: chill brownies until they’re almost frozen before cutting them. It makes it much easier to get a clean slice. I store mine in the freezer because I like my brownies icy cold when they're not hot and gooey.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Christmas Cookies, Part III


Well, candy, actually. These are super easy and pretty good, although after I made then I remembered my dislike for the whole chocolate-orange thing. Good thing I have roommates!

Orangettes
Slice ends off four oranges, score the peel from one end to the other, and remove the peels from the oranges. Slice the peels into thin strips and trim the edges.

Using a medium size pot, place the peels in boiling water and blanch them for a few minutes. Drain, rinse, and repeat twice with new water each time.

Prepare the simple syrup by combining 16 ounces water with 8 ounces sugar in a saucepan. Bring the syrup to a simmer, place the peels in the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Once the peels have cooked, remove from pot, and place on a rack to cool and drain.

Melt 16 ounces dark chocolate over a double boiler. Dip the candied orange peels in the chocolate, remove them quickly, and let them cool on a piece of parchment paper. Store the orange peels in an airtight container.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Christmas Cookies, Part II


Honestly I'm not sure what the problem is with these, but I feel like something's missing. Maybe the espresso flavour could be more intense, or the chocolate chunks could be larger, or maybe they needed to bake longer (I forgot to set the timer). Still, they are very good and people seem to like them - they're just not perfect for me. Also let me recommend the rolling-in-the-bag technique for every roll-out cookie. It makes things so much easier.

Verdict: Not a must-bake, but try them out.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks = 1 cup = 16 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.

2. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.

3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale – they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Christmas Cookies, Part I


These are my favourites of the batch, hands down. They are adapted from the lemon-blueberries bars I made this summer, and they are as awesome now as they were then. I was worried because I realized halfway through baking that I didn't adjust the sweetness at all to counteract the tartness of the cranberries, but they don't need any extra sugar at all. I will be adapting these to fit any and all fruits and berries in the future. Definitely a must-bake!

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks/1 cup/16 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest (1 tbsp) and juice (2 tbsp) of one orange
4 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and orange zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly (kind of like pie dough - pea-sized bits are what you're looking for). Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together sugar, cornstarch and orange juice. Mix in berries, then spread mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Mushroom Tart


This tart is great, but I feel like it could be improved a bit. First of all, as great as wild mushrooms are, it would probably be just as awesome with a mixture of button and brown mushrooms. Secondly, next time I think I will put 1 1/2 or even two pounds of mushrooms in to make a more substantial filling (you can't tell from the picture, but it's pretty thin). That said, this tart was pretty delicious and I definitely recommend trying it.

Mushroom and Blue Cheese Tart

For the pastry:
1/2 recipe of Dad's pie dough

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 lb. assorted fresh wild mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced*
1/2 lb. fresh button mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced*
5 ounces blue cheese

1. Make the pastry, following Dad's previous instructions.

2. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

3. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the green onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Increase the heat to high, add mushrooms, and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid they released has completely evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

4. Fit the dough into a tart pan. Crumble the blue cheese into a bowl, add the cooled mushrooms and stir well. Spread the mixture over the dough.

5. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

* I would actually use 3/4 to 1 lb brown (cremini) mushrooms and 3/4 to 1 lb button mushrooms, to save on cost. You could throw some wild mushrooms in as well if you feel like it, but honestly I don't think it would make much of a difference

PS. Poached Egg Win! Practice makes perfect, I guess.