Basic Thumbprint Cookie

Sometimes you collect several recipes for the same type of cookie.  You find one that might be better than the one before but never quite right.  There are several cookies that fit that profile for me.  One of which is the ever-famous thumbprint cookie.  They come out too hard, too soft, too crumbly, or just plain old dry.  I am happy to report I believe I have found the one!  This will be my official thumbprint cookie recipe.

This cookie has all of the basic ingredients but I think there are three big pluses for this cookie.  First, this cookie seems to have the perfect balance of the ingredients.  The texture of the cookie has a slightly crisp bite with a moist tender center and still have that melt in your mouth quality of a butter cookie.  The second plus is the fact that the recipe only calls for egg yolks instead of the whole eggs.  This also produces a moist tender cookie.  The third is that instead of filling them with jam, I used the Solo brand of fillings.  I found that you could fill the cookie and then bake them incorporating more of the flavor.


In making this recipe I used a few different combinations but you can only imagine the endless possibilities.  One cookie is rolled in finely chopped almonds and filled with raspberry filling.  Another is rolled in a sugar and cocoa combination and filled with almond filling.  The third is rolled in yellow sugar and filled with lemon  curd.  The final cookie is rolled, again, in finely chopped almonds and filled with apricot filling. 

Basic Thumbprint Cookies


2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup finely chopped nuts, sprinkles, coconut, etc.
1/3 to 1/2 cup Solo filling (almond, apricot, raspberry, etc.)


1.  In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar.  Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.  Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour.  Cover and chill for about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.


2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.  Shape dough into a 1-inch ball.  Roll each ball in egg whites and then the nuts, sprinkles, coconut, etc.  Using your thumb, make an indentation in each dough ball.  Add 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of filling to each cookie indentation.  Place pan in refrigerator and chill for at least 15 minutes before baking.


3.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.  Check at approximately 9 minutes.  Bottoms and edges should be lightly golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.  These cookies should be served immediately but can be frozen.  Place a layer of plastic wrap lightly over each layer of cookies in container.  Freeze.

Almond Pizzelles

In honor of St. Joseph's Day, the St. Patrick of the Italian and Polish, I decided to make a batch of pizzelles.  My Italian grandmother used to make these all the time.  After so many years of making them, she had the recipe and technique perfected.  I, on the other hand, still need some work on the technique.


As I was making these thin, crisp butter cookies, I thought I would do some research on them.  After a quick Google search, I found the following.


The word pizzelle means, loosely, "small, flat, and round" in Italian.  These waffle-type cookies are made by pouring batter between the two plates of an iron, which is then held over a fire or heated electrically.



Pizzelles were first made in the south-central area of Abruzzi (now the Region of Abruzzo) in the 8th century.  Two small towns each claim to have originated the treat, which are featured in their yearly festivals.  The first, Salle, in the Province of Pescara, celebrate the festival of Beato Roberto every July.  Celebrants walk down the street carrying branches on which pizzelle are hung as an offering.  And the second, Cocullo, in the Province of L'Aquila, the celebrants eat pizzelle during the festival of their patron saint, Domenico.  They cover his statue in snakes and carry it around the town.

These days, pizzelle can be found at almost any celebration in the Abruzzo region and across Italy.  It is a rare Italian wedding that does not serve pizzelle at the sweets table.  These cookies are closely associated with family; in fact, pizzelle irons have been fashioned with the pattern of a family's crest.  Pizzelle are also popular in countries with large Italian populations, such as Canada, the U.S.A., and Australia.

You can make these cookies in several flavors.  The most popular, my least favorite, is anise.  These are almond flavored.  The other varieties include vanilla, chocolate, , swirl, rum, orange, and any other you care to try!

There are several different recipes but this one came with my pizzelle baker.  I will try and post others.

Pizzelles

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon almond extract

1.  Beat eggs and sugar. Add cooled melted butter or margarine, vanilla, and almond.

2. Sift flour and baking powder and add to egg mixture.  Batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon.  Refrigerate for minimum 1 hour.

3. Following manufacturer's directions, preheat the baker a minimum of 15 minutes. Give both the top and bottom plates a quick spray of cooking spray.  Place spoonful of batter on the hot baker centered but slightly to the rear.  Bake for 30 seconds exactly for light golden.  You will have to experiment with amount and time of baking.

Cardamom Cookies

As I was thinking about a recipe to post tonight, I realized that I had not posted many recipes of the Christmas cookies this year.  For the past three years, I have had cardamom cookies on the list but they did not make the final cut.  So, this was the year that it would finally happen.


Cardamom spice is a highly aromatic spice which is most commonly used in Eastern, Arab, and some Scandinavian cuisines. Its unique slightly sweet and savory flavor allows it to be combined with both sweet and savory dishes. Cardamom seed's ability to enhance so many types of food is why it is combined with a wide range of other ingredients. From sea food to sauces, to meats, poultry, vegetables, and even desserts, pastries, and other baked goods.


These cookies slightly resemble Snickerdoodles in flavor.  They are a soft and tender cookie and definitely on my repeat list.  I hope you enjoy!

Cardamom Cookies
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup ground almonds
6 tablespoon butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar; for decorating


1. Sift together flour, sugar, and spices; stir in peel and almonds. Cut in margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg and milk till mixture forms a ball; chill.


2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).


3.  Roll out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into circles 1-3/4 inches in diameter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until edges are brown.

Nutella Fudge Mini-Cupcakes

Recently, I found a new chocolate love.  I originally saw this product used on Giada De Laurentiis' show on Food Network.  I was always intrigued but I am not really one for hazelnuts. At least not the hazelnut FLAVORED things I have had in the past.  I went out on a limb and decided to try it.  After all, I am Italian.  I instantly feel in love with this stuff.  I put it on everything now.  It is a bit pricier than peanut butter but in my opinion you do not need to put as much on.

This recipe is the first of the Christmas cookies that I have made.  These tasty mini-cupcakes really fit the bill for anyone with a chocolate craving.  I hope you enjoy these.  You can double this recipe successfully.  The original recipe makes 12 mini-cupcakes.

Nutella Fudge Mini-Cupcakes
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup hazelnuts; chopped

1.  Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Line a 12-cup mini-muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk the Nutella and egg until smooth and well blended.  Add the flour and whisk until blended.

3.  Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

4.  Bake until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11 to 12 minutes.  Set on a rack to cool completely.  Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.  You can also freeze them for up to one month until needed.

America's Test Kitchen Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saw this recipe on an episode of America's Test Kitchen. I have been wanting to try this for a long time.  I am torn about the cookies.  There were several great aspects to this recipe.  Using the dark brown sugar gave the cookies a wonderful caramel taste.  The other thing that I will not change in any cookie that uses chocolate chips is the use of the Ghirardelli Bitersweet Chocolate Chips.  Terrific taste. 

I have always been a cake-type chocolate chip cookie.  These were quite moist and chewy but flattened out when baking.  The recipe did not specify to refrigerate the dough before baking.  I made the recipe as listed.  I will definitely try these cookies again but I will refrigerate the dough for about 45-60 minutes prior to baking.

America's Test Kitchen Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

14 tablespoons; divided
½ cup white sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 ¾ cup flour (8 ¾ ounce)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ cup Ghiradella Bittersweet or Hershey’s Special Dark Chips – Do not substitute!

1. Preheat oven to 375˚. Melt 10 tablespoons butter and brown butter slightly; swirling while it browns. Remove to heat-proof bowl. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons butter until melted.

2. Whisk sugars into melted butter. Add salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and whisk. Let sit for 3 minutes and then whisk until glossy. Repeat that step 3 times.

3. Whisk flour and baking soda together. Add to batter. Stir until mixed.

4. Dough will be slack and less thick than usual cookie dough. Add chocolate chips to batter.

5. Measure 3 tablespoons dough on cookie sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between cookies. Bake 1 tray at a time in middle of oven for 15 minutes or until golden around edges. The cookie will be firm around edge and soft in the center. Let cool on sheet for 30-45 minutes.

Pudding Cookies

This recipe was from a holiday cookie cookbook. I made them using chocolate pudding.  The pudding is not overwhelming in these cookies.  They were easy to make and baked up very nicely.  The cookies turned out  soft and chewy.

1          cup butter; softened

1          cup canola oil

1          cup sugar

1          cup confectioners’ sugar

2          eggs

1          teaspoon vanilla extract

1          3.4 ounce package instant pudding

4          cups all-purpose flour

1          teaspoon cream of tartar

1          teaspoon baking soda

1. In a large bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, vanilla and dry pudding mix.  Combine the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

2.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.

3.  Bake at 350˚ for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Potato Chip Cookies

I work at a small private college and Ashley, one of our great student workers, brought in these cookies and the recipe.  Ashley's mother was nice enough to share the recipe with us.  Ashley is one of the best student workers that we have had since I have been in the office.  Thanks to Ashley for doing a great job and a big thanks to Ashley's mom!

These cookies have been around for a long time.  My aunt "Meenor" said that my grandmother used to make these when she was a kid.  I am just surprised that I have never had these before.  But, I can tell you that these will be one of my go-to cookies!

Potato Chip Cookies

1 pound butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup potato chips; crushed

1.  Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
2.  Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture.  Mix but do not over beat or the cookies will be tough.
3.  Slowly add the crushed potato chips.
4.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until slightly gold on the edges.

Cherry Almond Biscotti

I have always liked biscotti but I am not one for the extra crispy type.  I found this recipe in the Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook and adapted it using maraschino cherries instead of the dried cherries she called for in the original recipe.  I have made them with mini-chocolate chips as well.

I do not like my biscotti extra crispy so I only bake it after slice for 4 minutes per side.

Cherry Almond Biscotti
1 cup maraschino cherries; drained and chopped
1/2 cup amaretto
3 cups flour; plus more for work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 tablespoons butter; room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs (3 whole for dough and 1 lightly beaten to brush dough before baking.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (although I used pure chocolate extract in the batch)
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds; chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Soak chopped maraschino cherries in amaretto while you prepare cookie dough. 
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt  into a bowl.  Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of mixer with paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in 3 eggs, one at a time.  Drain cherries and reserve 2 tablespoons of amaretto liquid.  Add reserved amaretto to dough. Add extract.  Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture.  Stir in cherries and almonds.
3.  Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
4.  On a lightly floured surface, halve dough.  Shape each half into a 12 x 2 1/2-inch log.  Flatten logs to 1/2-inch thick.  Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush logs with beaten egg; sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5.  Bake 35 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Transfer to wire racks to cool, about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
6.  Cut each long on the diagonal into 16 to 18 slices.  Transfer piees to racks, laying them on sides.  Set racks on baking sheets.  Bake 8 minutes, flip, and bake 8 minutes more.  Let cool until crisp.
7.  In small bowl, add white chocolate chips and shortening and microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Drizzle chocolate over biscotti and let dry until chocolate is hard.

Spritz Cookies

My mom used to make Spritz cookies for Christmas each year.  For those that keep up with my blog, you will remember the entry about the cookies.  I used to steal these from the freezer when she was storing them before the holidays. 


They have been one of my favorites for years. If you do make these cookies, and I suggest you do, after 6 minutes, make sure to watch them.  You only want these to get the slightest bit golden around the edges.
Spritz Cookies
2 ½ cup flour


½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten, for decorating
colored sugar or other sprinkles for decorating


1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Mix flour and salt in bowl and set aside.
3. Put butter in large bowl of mixer and cream till fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat till fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, almond extract and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to bowl and beat just until blended.
4. Fill press and press dough into shapes on ungreased cookie sheet and decorate with egg white and sprinkles.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are just golden.

Rosettes

My lithuanian grandmother would make these crisp, deep-fried pastries. She did not make them often but when she did, they did not last long.  Each one of my family members had certain favorites that my grandmother would make each birthday.  These cookies were one of my mom's favorite.

I decided to make these as a treat for my mom's birthday since my grandmother passed away.  All these years I had thought that rosettes were of polish descent.  However, researching their origins for this blog entry uncovered that they are originally from Scandinavia. 

The rosette cookies are made with an aluminum mold that can be round, star-shaped, cup-shaped, or flower-shaped.  The iron is heated in the oil, dipped in the batter and then back in the oil to deep-fry until a light golden brown.

While it looks like many steps, these are VERY easy to make.

Rosettes

2  eggs
1  cup milk
1  cup flour
2  teaspoons sugar
1/4  teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon extract

1.  Add sugar to slightly beaten eggs, then add milk.
2.  Sift flour before measuring, then together with salt.
3.  Stir into first mixture until batter is smooth and about the consistency of heavy cream.
4.  Add lemon extract.
5.  Heat fat or oil to 375°F in a deep kettle.
6.  If you do not have a thermometer, put a small piece of bread into fat and count to sixty. Bread should brown.
7.  Dip your iron into hot fat to heat it and drain excess fat on absorbent paper.
8.  Dip heated iron into batter to about 3/4 its height.
9.  If iron is properly heated and drained the batter will coat the iron.
10.  If batter does not adhere the iron is too cool or greasy.
11.  Plunge batter-coated iron quickly into the hot fat and cook from two to three minutes or until active bubbling ceases.
12.  Invert iron over fat to drain fat off, then remove rosette from iron onto absorbent paper, inverting rosette to drain completely.
13.  Your rosette should be crisp as soon as it is slightly cool. If it is not, your fat may be too cool.
14. If rosette does not drop off form easily, tap the form sharply with a knife handle to loosen it.
15.  Let sit until completely cool. Then sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.  I prefer letting them sit overnight in an air-tight container.  Then, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.


Crevices may also be filled with raspberry jam (or your favorite) prior to coating with the sugar.


ENJOY!!!

Gumdrop Cookies

Gumdrop Cookies

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar; divided

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup choped fruit flavored gumdrops

2 egg whites

1. In a large bowl, cream shortening and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in gumdrops.

2. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into dough.

3. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

A special shout out to Deb B. She asked that I post a Christmas Cookie recipe. So, I thought I would post two! This recipe calls for fresh raspberries. I used frozen that we picked over the summer.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

1 cup butter; softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips; melted and cooled

1/2 cup fresh raspberries; pureed

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup vanilla chips

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and raspberries. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla chips.

2. Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Kolacky

Each year for Thanksgiving, my Lithuanian grandmother would get up very early in the morning and make these delicious pastries. She would make them using Almond, Poppy Seed, Prune, and Cheese filling. Naturally, as one might imagine, the prune filled ones would go last. I now make them using Almond, Poppy Seed, Cheese and Raspberry or Apricot filling.

As my grandmother got older and was not able to make these anymore, I was lucky enough to have been given the recipe. Each year as I got older, I would watch and help her make them. Each year I make these to continue the tradition alive. They take some practice to make, but they are well worth the effort!

Kolacky

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water, 105-115°
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra to achieve dough density
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons cream, scalded and cooled
4 egg yolks, beaten; room temperature

1 cup sour cream; room temperature

1. Combine yeast, warm water and a small pinch of sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in 1 cup butter with pastry cutter or your hands.

3. Add yeast mixture to the 2 tablespoons of cream. Add egg yolk and sour cream to yeast mixture.

4. Mix yeast mixture and flour mixture thoroughly. Chill dough OVERNIGHT. (DO NOT OMIT THIS STEP.)

5. Divide dough ball into as many sections as you will be using different types of filling. Each dough section will use 1/2 can of filling. Use almond, poppy seed, raspberry, cheese (recipe follows), almond, or apricot.

6. Roll dough to ¼” to ½” thick. Cut into 2"x2" squares. Fill with 1 round teaspoon filling. Fold one corner over the top of the filling, brush with a bit of egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water.) Fold second corner over the first and seal, brush with more egg wash.

7. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden brown.


Cheese Filling:

1-8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and chill overnight.