Got Milk? Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies were my first solo foray into baking, as well as one of the earliest posts I wrote for this blog (back in 2009). I was in the mood to bake and decided to make some of these classics. We start off with the usual suspects: white and brown sugars and butter. But not just any kind of butter...

Browned butter!

Browned butter (or beurre noisette, if you want to be fancy) is magical. Like bacon, anything it touches is turned delicious. It's especially good on fresh biscuits. It also makes a great pasta sauce, but that's a recipe for another day!

As it cooks, the butter turns a deep amber color and gives off an amazing nutty aroma. It imparts a toasty caramel flavour to the finished cookies for a taste that's reminiscent of English toffee. Finish with a sprinkle of salt on top for a very addictive sweet and salty dessert. 

As always, recipe after the jump!

Farmers Market Finds: Brûléed Meyer Lemon Bars

I recently moved from New York to the (occasionally) sunny shores of the San Francisco Bay Area. One of the numerous perks of living here: the abundance of well-stocked farmers markets. I'm pretty sure I ate two avocados a week for the first couple of months I was here and I can't wait for nectarine season to begin. 

One particularly Californian farmers market resident is the Meyer lemon. They might not be anything special here, but they were always difficult to find everywhere else I have lived so I'm probably a little irrationally excited about them. I remember buying a Meyer lemon cake mix on a trip to California many years ago and weighing out portions of it as a way of rationing said cake mix.
 
A cross between a regular lemon (also more thrillingly known as a "Eureka" lemon) and a mandarin orange, the Meyer lemon has a unique herbal citrus scent. The skin is a cheerfully warm yellow. It's also a little sweeter than your typical lemon so you could feasibly eat it plain, though I found it still to pack quite a pucker.

I wrote a post about lemon squares the last time I made them (in 2009!) This time around, they showcase the mellower flavour of the Meyer lemon. I also brûléed the tops; the caramelized sugar adds a satisfyingly crispy texture. I've found that a broiler gets the job done just fine (until I get my hands on a kitchen torch, that is). The only downside is that the caramel will lose its snap if you allow the bars to sit for too many hours, so brûlée them as needed!

Recipe after the jump!

Almond Biscotti

Yes yes, this is yet another almond cookie. But this time, we're travelling from, erm, Chinatown to Italy for biscotti. This twice-baked cookie is crunchy and perfect for dipping into coffee or wine. The recipe I used incorporates butter so it deviates slightly from traditional recipes which don't use any fat. The added butter gives it the perfect not-too-hard texture so you can enjoy it sans dunking.

Contrary to my earlier advice, I find it is actually easier to get nice slices without crumbling if you use a serrated knife and a sawing motion. Also, chopping up the nuts a bit before adding them allows the dough to hold together better, again minimizing crumbling. It's a good idea to toast the nuts before adding them for maximum crunch, but they will toast up a bit more during the final (second) baking.  

Recipe after the jump!

Operation Bakery Clone: Chinese Almond Cookies

I was a fan of the Top Secret Recipe books when I discovered them a few years ago. As their title suggests, the recipes are formulated to mimic restaurant dishes and commercial food products. There are recipes for everything from Big Macs to Aunt Jemima pancake syrup. 

This recipe is supposed to clone Twin Dragon Almond Cookies. I'm not familiar with that particular brand-- I just know that these crunchy little cookies are just like the ones that are often served with dessert at Chinese restaurants. They're less delicate than shortbread but have a similar crumbly, sandy quality. 

I made some substitutions (using shortening, unblanched almonds, and whole wheat flour) so the colour is darker than the bakery versions. I've made them before following the recipe exactly as written and can confirm that it does indeed make some pretty tasty clones.

Recipe after the jump!

Christmas Special: Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without holiday cookie baking. Rather than the icebox shortbread I usually make, I decided to try a whipped version instead this year. Filling the kitchen with the scent of buttery, rich shortbread baking always makes me feel festive. This recipe is unusual because it requires whipping the batter for 10 minutes. The light, fluffy batter can then be spooned or piped. The resulting cookie is delicate in texture and almost melts when you eat it.

Note: Having the cookie keep its ruffled, piped shape without melting into a blob while baking can be tricky. I tried refrigerating the piped batter before baking it, but had better results baking the cookies right after they were piped (at room temperature). 


Recipe after the jump!

Chocolate Petticoat Tails

The amazing thing about shortbread is that really, you only need three ingredients to make a darn delicious cookie: butter, flour, and sugar. A few additions like cocoa and salt are nice additions but not absolutely imperative. This buttery chocolate shortbread was baked in a fluted tart shell to give it a pretty scalloped edge.

Tip: Cutting the wheel into the "petticoat tails" can be a little tricky to do without breaking the narrow points. Allow the shortbread to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting straight down using a chef's knife. The cookie should be cool enough so that it "sets", but not so cool that it becomes crunchy and crumbly.  

Sweet Saltines: Toffee Crunch Bars

I love the buttery, sweet, salty crunch of English Toffee. This is a quick way to get a similar result without fiddling with a candy thermometer. It's also the most delicious use for the humble saltine crackers that I know of...

Parisian Perfection: Macarons

At first encounter, the macaron seems quite simple. It is a meringue-based cookie made from 3 main ingredients: egg whites, ground almonds, and sugar. Various fillings such as ganache or buttercream are sandwiched in the middle (kind of like an Oreo, but infinitely more sophisticated).

But look a little closer, and the macaron reveals a much more complicated character. The texture of the macaron is an enigma: buttery-smooth center, moist, chewy and airy interior covered by a perfectly smooth, crisp top that is as thin as an eggshell.

It is also clear that the macaron is not your typical "milk and cookies" kind of confection. Culturally speaking, it seems that macarons have exploded in popularity in recent years, surpassing the cupcake as the darling of the foodosphere. It is a generally accepted fact that Paris is home to the finest specimens in the world (macarons are French, after all). Pierre Desfontaines of Ladurée is credited for creating the macaron as we know it (the sandwich cookie variety). Today, Ladurée still bakes up thousands of them daily in an impressive array of flavours and colours from liquorice and orange blossom to rose and bergamot. Of course, Ladurée is not the only purveyor of these petite sweets; Lenôtre, Gérard Mulot, Dalloyau, and Pierre Hermé are just a few other fine French patisseries that offer excellent macarons. Luckily. the recent popularity of macarons means that you do not have to live in France to be seduced by these beautiful and elegant treats. It's likely that you could find them at a local bakery. You can even try your hand at making them at home!

This is my second attempt at these. My first was about 3 years ago and I was not aware of the little details that are required to make these work. Needless to say, the resulting pans of sad looking little egg white blobs weren't exactly a hit. This time around, I was armed with new tricks and things worked out much better. I kept things simple by making the shell one colour, and using two flavours of fillings (chocolate and raspberry buttercreams). I accidentally toasted the ground almonds while trying to dry them out, which led to a nuttier flavoured cookie, and a darker, cream colour rather than snowy white (or whatever colour you'd choose to tint them). While the ingredient list is deceptively simple, there is a degree of technique involved in making these! I have included many tips below, and with practice, there is nothing to stress over. Make sure you can set aside 5-6 hours to make these (don't worry, there's a lot of "resting" time).

The method is rather unusual, yet clever. By letting the piped batter sit for two hours before baking, the confectioner's sugar dries to form the characteristic thin shell. When the batter is baked, the shell rises and the liquid center pools out underneath to form the ruffled "feet." (I danced around the kitchen when I saw the "feet" through the oven door. Is that weird? No?) Clearly, the sky's the limit when it comes to variations, and I cannot wait to try different flavours in the future! Curious to give it a try? Well, without further ado, here's the recipe!

Christmas Special: Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread and Gingerbread Men

So, I think it's about time for an update, don't you?

There was no way I could let the holiday season go by without a few festive food posts. Christmas is, after all, the most gluttonous of holidays. What other occasion encourages consecutive weeks of marathon eating? Besides that warm fuzzy feeling you get at this time of year, the abundance of great food and company make this my absolute favorite holiday.

I decided to fully embrace the holiday spirit today. So, after lighting the fireplace and blasting the carols, I did a little Christmas baking. The results: Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread, gingerbread cookies, and a house headily perfumed with spice.

These shortbread are cheerfully festive cookies. Shortbread is originally a Scottish Christmas cookie, but today its rich, crumbly, butteriness makes it a popular year-round treat. These boast that iconic red and green, which is happily achieved free of food coloring or cloyingly sweet candied cherries. These mildly sweet cookies are studded with bright ruby red cranberries and pale green pistachios for a treat that is at once tender and crunchy and chewy.

However, these shortbread only make up half of the quintessential Christmas dessert duo of fruity and spicy. The latter half is taken care of by the classic gingerbread cookie. This is my favorite recipe and I have used it for many years. As strange as it may sound, the dough has a beautiful texture to work with, even cold out of the refrigerator. The molasses keeps it soft and pliable and very easy to work with. After it bakes, it retains its chewiness while the edges crisp up. I suppose somewhat non-traditionally, I like to add a little finely ground black pepper to the dough. It imparts an extra kick of heat to bring out the spice, rather than a savory quality. The flavor improves the longer your store them (if they last that long).

(A tip for making gingerbread men: In order to make sure your shapes stay recognizable, it is advisable to chill them on the sheet pan before you bake them. It prevents them from melting into amoeboid blobs.)

This is the just the beginning of my Christmas cooking marathon. I actually need to return to the kitchen now to prepare tonight's big feast, so stay tuned for more on that.

And finally, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May it be filled with fun, loved ones, and of course, fantastic food!

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

Yield: about 48 cookies

2 1/3 cups(300 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (130 grams) unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 cup (150 grams) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl whisk the flour with the salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 - 2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Fold in the chopped pistachios and dried cranberries. (Make sure that the nuts and cranberries are evenly distributed throughout the dough.)

Divide the dough in half. Place each half of dough on the center of a 14 inch (35 cm) length of parchment or wax paper. Smooth and shape the dough into an evenly shaped rectangle that is about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Then thoroughly wrap the shaped logs in the parchment or wax paper, twists the ends of the paper to seal the logs, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours, or up to three days. (The logs can also be frozen for about two months. If freezing, it is best to defrost the logs in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) with the rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a thin bladed knife, slice the logs into 1/4 to 1/2 inch (.5 to 1 cm) thick cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 48 shortbread cookies.

Perfect Gingerbread Cookies

Yield: about 2 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper. Stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Gather into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least one hour.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Images property of beets and bites
Shortbread recipe from joyofbaking.com

Oddball of the Cookie World: Potato Chip Cookies

Sweet and salty is a combination that seems strange, but strangely works. And it isn't like serving a steak with a scoop of ice cream. Some popular permutations of the sweet and salty pairing come in the form of:

Kettle corn

Trail mix

Chocolate-dipped pretzels

Peanut butter and jam sandwiches

Breakfast! (Pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, and sausages)

I guess the magic comes from the contrast. The salt makes the sweet sweeter and the sweet makes the salt saltier. Even chocolate chip cookies rely on a little salt to bring out flavours.

A couple of years ago, I heard about a company called Immaculate Baking Co. One product they make is the potato chip cookie. I was intrigued by this savoury sweet shortbread and have been looking for a box for quite a while. Perhaps potato chip cookies are a bit too adventurous for many consumers, as the company has stopped making them. I still really wanted to see what they tasted like, so I decided to try and make some.

I used a simple shortbread recipe and added some finely crushed salted potato chips. I used a thick cut chip so that the crumbs wouldn't get soggy. It was a surprising success. The cookie tastes buttery with a hint of salt, and not at all like potato. What the chips do create is a pleasantly crunchy, sandy texture. I imagine this is a great way to use up the bits at the bottom of the bag... although I wouldn't use all-dressed or barbeque flavoured chips...

Potato Chip Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup finely crushed potato chips

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the potato chips and stir well. Add the flour and stir to combine.

Form the mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Flatten the cookies on the baking sheet with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake the cookies until light golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes.

Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. (The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Makes 3 1/2 dozen

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse-Quick and Easy

Image property of beets and bites

The recipe that started it all... The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

At the risk of sounding dramatic, this is THE recipe that sparked my interest in cooking, baking, and all things food. I was bored and hungry one summer day many years ago and found this recipe on the back of a bag of chocolate chips. These chocolate chip cookies are simple to make and simply amazing.

I am all for using butter in baking. The flavour cannot be beat. However, I am a fan of chewy chocolate chip cookies. Butter tends to make the dough spread and creates a crispier cookie. This particular cookie recipe uses shortening. It melts more slowly in the oven, allowing the cookie to set a little puffier. While there are probably thousands of recipes for chocolate chip cookies, this one has yet to fail me. To boost flavour, I used half butter and half butter-flavoured shortening today, so the cookies came out a little flatter than usual. I also threw in some Skor toffee bits along with the chocolate chips. Yum.

Original Chipits Cookies

Cream together 1 cup Golden Flavour Crisco Shortening, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Beat in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt. Gradually blend into creamed mixture.

Stir in 300 g chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped nuts (optional). Drop small spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Image: Property of beets and bites