Sweetie Pie

Linzer Torte

This is a recipe that makes me glad I started a blog and got serious about learning to cook and bake.  I could have missed out on this dessert entirely, and that is unthinkable.  I love it so much.  Let me list the ways... it's not too difficult to make, it's crunchy around the edges, it has raspberry jam in the middle, it's very festive, it's not too sweet, and it looks really pretty.  May I present:  The Linzer Torte.

The Linzer Torte is named after the Austrian city of Linz and is a holiday classic in Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and Germany.  There are of course many variations on the recipe, but it is always made with ground nuts in the crust, a jammy filling and a lattice design on top.  For my torte I used almond meal in the crust and raspberry jam inside.  Did I mention how good it is?

Linzer Torte

The inspiration and technique for this recipe came from Smitten Kitchen.  I also referenced Ruth Reichel's recipe.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups almond meal

1 cup sugar

zest from one lemon

1 egg

2-4 Tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

2 Tablespoons fine bread crumbs

1 cup best quality raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 400.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large bowl.  Do yourself a favor and choose a bowl larger than seems necessary.  Cut the (cold!) butter into pieces and toss it in the flour mixture.  Use your finger tips to smush and smear the butter in to the flour.  The idea is to incorporate the butter while still leaving it flaky and cold.  Use a fork to finish the mixing and smashing.  Place this bowl in
the freezer.

Meanwhile, measure the sugar and almond meal in to another bowl and zest the lemon into it. Break the egg in a small dish and beat it with a fork.  Take the flour/butter mixture out of the freezer and add the sugar and almond meal.  Mix and add the egg and 2 Tablespoons of cold water.  You will need to use your hands to mix and knead the dough until it becomes cohesive.  You may add one or two more tablespoons cold water if necessary.  Divide the dough in half.  Press half the dough in to the pan and bake for 15 minutes.  While that's baking, place the remaining dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.  Roll it out to about the same size as your pan, then place it on a flat pan and put it in the freezer.

Take the pan out of the oven after 15 minutes and let cool slightly.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the crust, then spread on the jam.  Take the other half of the crust out of the freezer and cut it in strips.  Lay the strips over the jam in a criss cross pattern.  I did not attempt to actually 'weave' this top crust as it is very crumbly and fragile and I think it looks fine anyway. 

 

 

 

 

 

You can use scraps of crust to fill in any gaps around the edges and make everything even.  Beat the egg yolk with a splash of water and brush all over the crust.  Place in the oven and turn down to 350 degrees.  Bake for one hour or until beautiful and golden brown with a bubbly center.  Let cool completely before serving.  It's wonderfully crunchy around the edges, with the sweet and tart raspberry center and mild spicy flavor of the cinnamon and cloves. 

Looking for more holiday sweets?  Don't forget Candy Cane Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, and Crunchy Cornmeal Biscotti.

Little Bites

It's a sad day when all the Girl Scout cookies are gone for the year.  My husband loves coconut and always finds a box (or two) of Samoas to bring home along with a few other varieties.  There have been a lot of blog posts online in the last few weeks for made at home versions of these cookies, especially Samoas.  These recipes involve multiple steps and although I'm sure they're yummy, I wasn't interested.  However, that doesn't mean I'm not suffering from cookie with-drawls just like everybody else. These little bites are here to help.  They are very very simple to make and don't even need to be baked!  Vegan and gluten free, this sweet relies on the natural sugars in dates.  It would be a stretch to call the recipe that follows a substitute for a true crunchy, chewy perfect Samoa but if you want something guilt free with that coconutty chocolate flavor then these are for you.

The recipe comes from Chocolate Covered Katie, a blog which showcases vegan and healthy versions of just about any dessert you can think of.  I changed the recipe in two small ways.  First, I doubled it because I wanted more cookies!  Secondly, I toasted the coconut which brings out the flavor and helps everything to blend.

Little Bites Samoas Babies

Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie

Click through for the recipe.  Here are my notes:

If you double it and use tablespoon sized cookies, you will have about 14 cookies.  I toasted the coconut in the oven (watch it closely or it will burn!) and added it to the food processor while still warm.  I used 1 Tablespoon dark chocolate chips in the mix and melted 3 Tablespoons chocolate chips in the microwave to drizzle on top.  Make sure to mix these really well in the food processor, stop and scrape the sides and keep mixing.  The warm and toasty coconut will cause the chocolate to melt and bring out the oils in the coconut.  It's a bonus that your hands will be moisturized and coconutty when you're done.  I store these in the refrigerator. 

I was truly surprised by how much I liked these.  The coconut flavor really comes through and of course I like the chocolate on top.  My only problem was that even though I doubled the recipe I needed more cookies. 

Lemon Ginger Heartwheels

You had me at lemon and ginger.  The cute design sealed my intention to try this recipe.  I made them heartwheels instead of pinwheels because Valentine's day is just around the corner.

I was very pleased with the way these cookies look, and the dough was easy to work with.  However I must have baked them too long because they are rock hard.  My son said, 'Wow, these are some crunchy cookies!'  He enjoyed eating them with his back teeth.  Next time I'll slice them thinner before baking so we won't break a tooth, and I'll be careful to take them out of the oven on time.  If this recipe had more butter and sugar, the cookies would turn out tender no matter what.  These cookies are relatively low in fat and calories while still being tasty, crunchy and fun to eat so I'm okay with this trade off.  I was also disappointed with the low lemon flavor.  Maybe there is plenty of lemon zest, but it is almost completely overpowered by the spicy ginger cookie.  If I make these cookies again, I will cut back on the amount of spices in the ginger dough. 

These cookies were fun to bake, and I'll definitely try more swirled cookies, but I'll keep looking for the perfect pinwheel recipe.

Ginger Lemon Heartwheels

recipe from Cooking Light Best Baking Recipes 2011

For the lemon dough:

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup white sugar

1 large egg white

zest of one large or two small organic lemons

6 ounces (or 1 1/3 level cups) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

For the ginger dough:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg yolk

6 ounces (or 1 1/3 level cups) all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Make the lemon dough:

Cream the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with a mixer for about three minutes.  Add the lemon zest and then the egg white and continue mixing.  Add the flour and salt at low speed and mix until just combined.  Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together if it seems too dry.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Make the ginger dough:

Using the same mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar for about 3 minutes until well blended.  Add the molasses and egg yolk and continue mixing.  Add the flour and spices at low speed and mix until just combined.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and regrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Unwrap the lemon dough and lay it on a peice of plastic wrap.  Cover the dough with another large peice of plastic wrap and roll the it out between the two sheets.  Try to make a rectangle 13 X 9 inches.  Place on a cookie sheet or tray.  Unwrap the ginger dough and roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap in the same way.  Aim for 13 X 81/2 inches for the ginger dough, then stack it (still in plastic) on the lemon dough and chill 10 minutes.

Take the chilled dough out and lay the lemon out on the counter.  Peel the plastic off the top (the bottom will still be on plastic).  Unwrap the ginger dough and place it on top of the lemon, leaving a 1/2 inch border along one long edge.  Starting with the long side without a border, roll up into a log using the bottom piece of plastic to pull it tight.  Pinch and seal the long edge, but not the ends.  If you are making heartwheels, roll one long side of the dough with the roller to make a point like the edge of a triangle.  Now, using a butter knife, press an indentation in the opposite side to make the top of the heart shape.  If you want round cookies, just skip this step. Once you are satisfied with the shape of the log, cover well with plastic wrap and freeze 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Unwrap dough and slice cookies about 1/4 inch thick.  Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until set and lightly browned.  If you do not wish to bake all the cookies right away, place the remaining dough in the freezer until you're ready to use it.

Cornmeal Biscotti

Good morning 2013!  Let's greet the new year with a deep breath, coffee and biscotti.  Yum.   I'm trying to step away from all the sugar, cookies and chocolate I've been devouring since the beginning of December.  Maybe the key is to take baby steps. 
While biscotti isn't healthy, it's also not coated in chocolate or glazed with icing.  These cookies don't have a lot of fat, and they have a satisfying crunch.  They are also very good with a healthy fruit salad.  They are just the right combination of crunchy, lemony and mildly sweet. 
I found the recipe on David Lebovitz's site living the sweet life in Paris. The cornmeal adds extra texture and crunch.  I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts and these cookies turned out absolutely perfect.  Click through for the recipe if you want to bake this.  I will be making them again very soon. 
Biscotti is actually plural for biscotto, which means twice cooked.  When you mix up the dough and shape it into loaves, be aggressive and really press it into the shape you desire because it will seem crumbly.  Don't fret, it will bake into beautiful lemony puffy goodness.   Allow it to cool, then slice it up and bake again to achieve the totally dry crunch of perfect biscotti.  These dry cookies were first used to preserve bread, especially for long journeys because they wouldn't get moldy.  However, I doubt those ancient biscotti benefited from lemon zest, and they were traditionally made without added butter or oil.  The method is the same, but the ingredients have been tinkered with over the decades and there are loads of recipes for all kinds of biscotti.  This is one of the very best I've tasted. 

Gingerbread Cookies

What gets you into the holiday spirit?  For me, it's cookies!  The cookie cutters, the decorating, the warm and spicy smell of Christmas baking tells me it's time to eat sweets and enjoy the lights on the tree.  We tried a different gingerbread recipe this year and were not disappointed.  The cookies are nicely spiced and the dough was easy to work with. 

My little helper is always enthusiastic about baking desserts and was eager to help.  He specializes in standing very very close on a step stool anxiously waiting to pour each measured ingredient into the mixing bowl.

In his eagerness, he missed the bowl entirely with the cup full of spices and poured them all over the counter top.   He was obliged to stand back as I scraped them up and added them back to the mix.  My resolve to bake together was momentarily shaken, but we moved on and added the flour with extra care.  He was much more adept at cutting shapes and decorating them with candies the next day.

Spiced Dough for Gingerbread Houses, Men, Cutouts, Cookie Molds and Speculos

From Julia Child's Kitchen by Julia Child

1 stick (4 ounces) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cardamom

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and 2 sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and keep beating for a few more minutes until it's even more light and fluffy.  Add the spices and keep mixing until everything is whipped together thoroughly.  

Gradually add the flour and keep mixing.  If your mixer gets bogged down, you may have to finish incorporating the flour by hand.  This will make a very stiff dough.  Wrap it up in plastic and place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes.  Transfer to parchment lined cookie pans and bake for around 15 minutes or until the edges are light brown.  We decorated the cookies with candy and sprinkles before baking.  You could also decorate with icing after baking. 

Mantecadas

I was looking for a cookie recipe called mantecados that is traditional to southern Spain.  This is a lovely crumbly holiday shortbread type treat.  These little bites are not too sweet and have a rich, lingering flavor.  I found this recipe right on my own kitchen bookshelf for something very similar that's typical of Puerto Rico.  These cookies aren't exactly the same, but they are yummy and easy to make.  Chef Daisy uses 2 sticks of butter, but the treat I was craving is made with lard for that magical crumble and crunch, so I used half and half.  That's right, I cook with lard.  Click here and here for more information about the king of fats.
You will also need almond flour, which can be bought at most grocery stores or whizzed up in a food processor. Just place your plain almonds in the machine and pulse until they become a coarse, floury meal. Click here for more about almonds. 

Mantecadas

Recipe adapted from Daisy: Mañana, Mediodía y Noche by Daisy Martinez

2 cups flour

1 cup almond flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter (4 ounces) cold 

4 ounces lard (cold)

2 large eggs, well beaten

2/3 cup jelly or jam (guava jelly is traditional, but I used tangelo marmalade and any flavor would work)

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepared two cookie pans with parchment paper.

Place the four, almond flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine.  Chop the butter into pieces and add it and the chilled lard to the dry ingredients.  Remove your rings and mix the fat in with your fingertips until it begins to clump and hold together a bit.  It will be rough and crumbly.  Add the beaten eggs and stir until the mass of dough becomes smooth enough to form into cookies.Use a teaspoon to scoop out  dough and roll it into little balls.  Place them on cookie sheets and press firmly with your thumb to make and indentation in each one.  If the cookies crumble a little, just press them back together.  Place 1/2 teaspoon jam in the thumbprint on each cookie.

Bake until they become slightly golden and brown around the edges, about 25 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before serving.  Cookies will keep for about 3 days. 

 

 

Candy Cane Cookies

It's cookie time!  It just doesn't feel like Christmas without some special home made cookies.  I don't usually make more than one variety these days, so I've narrowed the holiday cookie selection down to my favorite: Candy Cane Cookies.  These are a simple butter cookie that's not too sweet, but fun to make (and eat) with kids and they look festive too. 

I usually make the dough a day or two before I plan to bake the cookies.  It will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.  This keeps the kitchen much neater and divides up the labor so it's more of a fun event than a holiday chore.

As with all baking projects, let's begin by assembling all the ingredients and making sure everything is ready.  You can't see in this photo, but I also have several sheets of parchment paper cut and ready to go.  As you can see, you'll nee two sticks of butter.  Soften these until they're easy to stir up with the sugar and eggs.  Then add the peppermint extract.

Next it's time to add the dry ingredients.  When you are baking it's important to measure accurately. This recipe is pretty forgiving, but it's still a good idea to practice proper measurements.  For dry ingredients like flour and baking powder, you can use the scoop and level method.  Scoop a heaping cup or teaspoon of the ingredient, then sweep the excess off and back into the container for a level and accurate measurement.  Like so:

Now, there are some who may say that this is not the most accurate way to measure flour.  They may say that you can get a more accurate measurement by scooping the flour into the cup by the spoonful until it's heaping and then sweeping off the excess.  However, the straightforward scoop and sweep was good enough for Julia Child, and it's good enough for me.

Once all the flour and dry ingredients are incorporated, you will have a pretty stiff dough.  At this point you need to divide the dough so that you can make different colors.  I like to take about half the dough out and leave it white, then divide the remaining dough into two bowls to make red and green.  Squirt some food coloring on the dough and mix until you're happy with the colors.  Then place each color on paper or plastic wrap and seal it up.  The dough needs to be thoroughly chilled before you move on to the next step.  I usually wrap each color separately, then seal them up together in a zip top bag or plastic wrap.
When you're ready to bake the cookies, take the dough out of the refrigerator and get some helpers ready to roll it out and shape it.  Begin by pinching off small chunks of each color and rolling out some 'snakes'.  Then twist the different colors together and shape them into candy canes on parchement lined baking sheets. 
You can make these cookies large or small, and of course it's okay to make different shapes like circles or hearts.  Use a little bit of flour if the dough gets too sticky.  Bake the cookies for 7 to 10 minutes, or until they are puffed and very lightly brown at the edges.  Baking time will depend on the thickness of your candy canes.

Candy Cane Cookies

recipe from Mom's kitchen

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

red and green food coloring

Mix the butter, sugar, eggs and peppermint flavoring first.  Add the flour and baking soda and baking powder and mix well.  Divide the dough and add food coloring. Wrap each color well and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to a week.

Roll out the dough into small log or snake shapes and twist colors together to make candy canes.  Bake on parchment lined baking sheets at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. 
These are perfect for dipping in hot chocolate or coffee, but enjoy them right away because they will disappear quickly!

Almond Crescents

Every once in a while I stumble upon a recipe so simple and so perfect that it immediately makes it into permanent rotation.  These charming little cookies have only 4 ingredients:  almonds, sugar, egg whites, and citrus zest.  I made them once with lemon and once with orange zest and both were awesomely good.  Batman stopped by to help stir these up.  Unfortunately I had to do most of the work because he had to go to time out for throwing sugar.  You would think a hero would have better manners.
Although almonds are consumed around the world, the US is by far the largest market.  California produces 80% of the worlds supply with more than half a million acres in the state under almond cultivation.   This tree is in the same family as peaches (prunus) and produces fruit with a tough outer layer, which is equivalent to the fleshy part of a peach, and inside is the hard shell like a peach pit, and inside of that is the almond.  This small deciduous tree is ancient, mentioned multiple times in the Bible and ancient Greek medical texts.  The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm.  It's also very nutritious, and according to the Almond Board of California, 1 ounce of almonds contains 6 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber, 35% daily value of vitamin E, 8% daily value of calcium, and only 1 gram of saturated fat and 13 grams of the good unsaturated fats.  This makes it a heart healthy, nutritionally dense food, and very satisfying snack.  Almonds can be found in many forms, including almond meal or flour which is simply ground up almonds.  You can find it in most grocery stores in the health food or baking aisle, you can order it on line, or you can make your own in a food processor.  Keep your almonds in the refrigerator for a very long shelf life. 

Almond Crescents

recipe from Rachel Allen

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

7 ounces almond meal

zest of one orange or lemon

Sliced almonds to roll the cookies in, about 1 cup.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the sugar, almond meal and citrus zest and set aside.

Place the egg whites in a small bowl.  The easiest way to separate eggs is to break one at a time into a small bowl.  If you are gentle when you crack the shell, the yolk will remain intact.  Now you can simply fish it out with your hand and let the white fall through your fingers.  This is a good recipe to practice on because it won't ruin your cookies if you accidentally break the yolk and get a little in with the whites.

Beat the egg whites up a little with a fork and add them to the dry ingredients a little at a time.  Depending on the size of your eggs, you might not need every drop of the whites.  You just want the dough to come together enough to roll it into a log.  My dough was very soft and sticky.  Roll it into a log on a clean work surface.  Place the sliced almonds in a dish to roll the cookies in.  Line a pan with parchment paper.  Using a knife, cut off small pieces of dough and shape them into crescents with your fingers.  Work quickly and drop each cookie into the sliced almonds, roll it around and place it on the pan.  These cookies are quite small and you should get 16-18 out of one recipe.

Bake for about 15 minutes.  You will want to keep an eye one them because those sliced almonds can burn easily.  When they are done they will be lightly golden and cracked on top.  Let them cool on the pan if you can resist gobbling them right up.  I seriously considered eating every single one and then pretending like the whole recipe never happened.  What cookies?