Tuesdays with Dorie - Rugelach

I have made rugelach quite a few times with different recipes. For me, the trick is to only work with enough dough that it stays cold until I have put it on the pan. So I usually work with small amounts, like Dorie recommends in this recipe.

I made one batch with the filling that Dorie recommends, and one with Nutella and almonds (I saw some of the other TWD bloggers recommend this filling so I had to try it, anything with Nutella is good). Both the raspberry and nutella cookies were good, but they were a bit dry. Next time I will cook them a bit less, this time I had them in for 22 minutes.

Tuesdays with Dorie -Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Wow, that is quite a name for a small cookie. But, they are very good. I halved the recipe (who needs 60 cookies to be tempted with, 30 is a much more reasonable amount :) ). Also, my husband is not a fan of peanut butter, so I used almond butter instead.

These cookies are very good, nice and moist with a slight crunch on the edges. I had to try at least 4 when they came out of the oven, just in case...

Check out the recipe here from Stefany of Proceed with Caution.

Tuesdays with Dorie - Traditional Madeleines

My first Tuesdays with Dorie Challenge! I ordered the book 2 weeks ago, but apparently I didn't get the speediest shipping. So here we are with my first recipe, Madeleines. I don't have a pan for this, and am not a fan of uni-taskers as my kitchen is tiny, so I made do. What did I use, you may ask. Tartlet pans. I use these all the time to make little tarts, shaped cookies, as cookie cutters, etc so I don't consider them a uni-tasker. Plus, they are much easier to store than a big pan. Anywhos, back to the madeleines. They taste great, they puffed up nicely and look to have a bump on the flat side, so I think they came out well, even if not in the traditional shape. The lemony flavor is subtle but nice, and they are very tender.

Traditional Madeleines

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale, thick and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days. This long chill period will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines. (For convenience, you can spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the cookies directly from the fridge; see below for instructions on prepping the pans.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, or up to 36 mini madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Or, if you have a nonstick pan (or pans), give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one almost to the top. Don't worry about spreading the batter evenly, the oven's heat will take care of that. Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, and minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

If you are making minis and have more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking.

Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioners' sugar.

makes 12 large or 36 mini cookies

Mother's Day Biscotti

For Mother's Day this year, I decided to make some treats that travel well. Biscotti came to mind as a treat that can stand a few days travel and come out in one piece. These came out really well, and I think the made the trip ok...

Coconut Pecan Biscotti
From Baking and Books

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick liner.
2. Combine the flour, coconut, pecans, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Use the flat beater attachment or a hand-held mixer to blend together briefly on low speed.
3. Using a fork, lightly beat together the eggs, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. With the mixer speed on low, add to the dry ingredients and blend together thoroughly.
4. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Dust your hands lightly with flour and shape each piece of dough into a loaf about 8 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, and 3/4 inches high. Place both loaves on the baking sheet, leaving several inches of space between them. Bake the biscotti for 22 to 24 minutes, until the loaves are light golden and set. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
5. Using a serrated knife (I actually used my sharpest chef knife, since my serrated knife wasn’t slicing through the loaves so well), slice each loaf on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place these slices on their sides on the baking sheet. (To avoid breakage, after you slice a piece rest its weight on the blade of your knife instead of picking it up with your fingers. Slide the piece onto the baking sheet.) Place these slices on their sides on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and golden colored. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer biscotti to racks to cool.

Variations: You can also drizzle the biscotti with thin lines of bittersweet, semisweet, milk or white chocolate after they are completely cool. Let the chocolate set for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before serving or storing.

Espresso Almond Biscotti
from About Professional Baking by Gail Sokol

31/2 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons ground coffee beans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
21/2 cups slivered almonds
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon egg wash

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, expresso powder, coffee beans, baking powder, baking soda, salt and almonds.
2. In another bowl, blend the sugars, zests, and the eggs until until slightly thickened.
3. Gradually add the oil, vanilla, and almond extracts.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Divide the dough in half and form each into a log 15 inches by 3 1/2 inches. Place logs on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. The logs will rise as they bake.
6. Brush each log with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes until the tops look crackled.
8. Allow the logs to cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 3/4 inch slices with a serrated knife. Place the slices cut side down on the pan.
9. Return the slices to the oven for 6-8 minutes on each side.
10. Optional - After the slices have cooled, turn them right side up on the pan. Drizzle some melted chocolate over the top decoratively.

Red Velvet Black and White Cookies

I was reading some of my favorite blogs (Joy the Baker) the other day, and I ran across this great looking cookie. I knew I had to make it, so I did!

The texture was great, soft & light in the middle, with bit of a crunch on the edges. The vanilla glaze was great, but the chocolate came out way too thick to spread and was not shiny. Next time I'll try a different chocolate ganache or something...

Red Velvet Black and White Cookies

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

2. Using a mixer, beat 5 tablespoons butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, food coloring and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until smooth.

3. Place 1/4-cup scoops of batter 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet; spread out. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.

4. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon corn syrup and 2 tablespoons hot water until smooth. In another bowl, combine the chocolate, remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon corn syrup; microwave until melted, about 1 minute.

5. Coat the cookies with the vanilla, then the chocolate icing. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.