TWD: Thumbprint Cookies for Us Big Guys

Sorry, big guys, but you can keep your thumbprint cookies.

I had high hopes for these. Because it is still coconut month, I substituted some ground toasted coconut for part of the hazelnuts, and the raw dough had a wonderful flavor--buttery, nutty, slightly sweet from the coconut but with a good hit of salt. I noshed an alarming bit of dough before baking them off, in fact. [The coconut flavor didn't come through in the final product, though, so I guess this squeaks into coconut month on more of a technicality.]

The cookies came out of the oven and looked beautiful! They smelled awesome, and I was careful to bake them for only about 14 minutes, so they didn't take on much color, as instructed. They looked gorgeous sprinkled with sugar and filled with raspberry preserves. After the photos were taken we eagerly tasted one, and...well...are these supposed to be...how you say...droopy? Soggy? Moist in the mouth? Instead of crunchy, buttery shortbread and smooth jam, the cookies turned unpleasantly soft. Now I love me some gooey cookies, but of the chocolate variety, not of the shortbread variety. It just seemed wrong. The texture was way too distracting, even if the flavors were nice. I did enjoy creating a Target logo out of my cookies, though:

So was this a fluke? Do thumbprint cookies usually go soft or stale so quickly? Truthfully I can't remember making these before, so maybe it's normal, maybe it's even desirable (impossible!). But for now, me and my thumbs will stick with chocolate chip cookies.

Read More...

Summary only...

DB Bakewell Tart: In Which I Abuse British-isms

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was that most English of desserts, the Bakewell tart. Jolly good! Shortbread crust, a layer of preserves, and a frangipane (almond paste) topping, all baked up nice and brown, and Bob's your uncle.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.
But the Barney Rubble* is, I don't really like aggressively almond desserts. You know, the ones that rely on lots of almond extract, like those almond danishes, or anything with lots of marzipan, or (sigh) this tart. And I kind of knew that going in, but I hope that through the magic of the daring bakers, my tastebuds would be transformed and I would enjoy it. Alas, the whole thing was just too almondy and fakey and, I don't know, chewy and cakey in a weird and dodgy way.
I made a custard sauce to go with the tart, because when I lived in England, it seemed like I couldn't get a dessert without custard, try as I might. Apple pie? Mandatory custard on the side. Chocolate mousse? Not complete without custard. Want a jam doughnut? Not without custard, you don't! Cup of custard? How's about a nice dollop of custard on top. Cor blimey, it was everywhere. Fortunately, vanilla custard sauce was a really nice accompaniment to this particular tart, and helped cut some of the almond flavor for me.

My absolute favorite part of this tart, though, was the homemade apricot preserves I used. The apricots were a little tart to eat on their own, which made them perfect for the jam and kept it from being too sweet. I had a little extra tart dough left over, so I made small shortbread cookies out of it, and topped them with the apricot jam. It was brilliant! So delicious.The jam was a slapdash experiment that worked perfectly, and I was chuffed to bits at how well it came out. And it couldn't be easier! This makes a little more than a cup of jam, perfect for filling this tart and nibbling on leftovers.

Apricot Jam

1 lb apricots, ripe but firm
12 oz sugar
1/4 cup honey
juice from 1/2 lemon

Pit the apricots and coarsely chop them--their skins are so thin, they do not need to be peeled. Place them in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add the sugar, the honey, and the lemon juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the apricots are evenly coated.

Allow the apricots to cook and break down, stirring frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom. After a time, the mixture will start to produce an orange froth on top that bubbles vigorously. Use a spoon to skim this off the top. If you save the orange foam in a small container, it will liquify and become an amazing apricot syrup--great on french toast or pancakes!

Continue to cook the apricots until they have broken down and are at a consistency you like--for me, this was about 35-40 minutes.

*Speaking of Cockney rhyming slang, did you know "raspberry tart" is rhyming slang for "fart"? Think about THAT the next time you're blogging about a nice fresh berry tart.
...And many apologies for the wanton abuse of the English language, next post will be back to our regularly scheduled American slang.

Read More...

Summary only...

TWD: Buttery "Jam" Cookies

If you were to make a recipe titled Buttery Jam Cookies, what flavors would you expect to find? Butter, naturally. And also jam, correct? So why, then, did my Buttery "Jam" Cookies taste like...nothing?
They're kind of cute, right? I used chunky cherry preserves from TJ's, and last time I checked, they tasted awesome and flavorful on toast. Mmmm, toast. I added some pink food coloring so they wouldn't have that sickly reddish-purple-bruise color that jam always gives baked goods. Pink cherry cookies? Sound great! I was pretty psyched to taste these after they came out of the oven.

I took a bite... cue *crickets chirping*
Another bite...how to explain my reaction?

Have you seen the episode of The Simpsons that parodies A Prairie Home Companion? Homer and the family are watching a Garrison Keillor monologue on TV. As the studio audience cracks up repeatedly at Keillor's small-town dry wit, Homer watches stone-faced, not understanding the jokes. Finally, he gets up and hits the side of the TV. THUMP! "Stupid TV! Be more funny!" THUMP!

Friends, I felt like Homer Simpson. "Stupid cookies! Be more tasty!" THUMP!
We decided that maybe the cookies needed frosting, so I whipped up a quick batch of frosting, using more cherry preserves in the frosting to give it some extra cherry flavor. And still...nada. Don't get me wrong, they're not terrible. I actually liked the flaky, almost biscuit-like texture, and yes, there was some strong butter flavor. But...they needed something more, for me.
The worst part is reading the reactions of people who loved them, because a lot of folks seem to go crazy over them. I feel like these cookies are holding out on me. Is it malice? The cookie equivalent of Jekyll and Hyde? Or is this recipe only meant to be used with apricot jam, no matter what the recipe options tell us? If I make them again I'll double the ginger and use apricot jam, to give them the full benefit of the doubt. But to be honest, I don't know if I will make them again, after facing the heartbreak of tasteless cookies this week.
THUMP!

Read More...

Summary only...

Tuesdays with Mommie: Linzer Sables

This week's TWD recipe is very special. For the first. time. ever. in Cake or Death history, I had my mom baking with me! Or more accurately, I baked with her, since we were in her kitchen using her ingredients. (Thanks, Mom! Sorry for spilling that ganache on the floor. And for dirtying so many dishes and countertops. And for dropping that rubber band in the oven and melting it to the oven floor. Love you!)

Familial Camaraderie: it's what's for dessert

We had a great time making the Linzer Sables together. We made the dough a day in advance, and aside from some massive frustration involving her poorly designed, eternally frustrating food processor, it all went smoothly. (I have added her food processor to my list of Inanimate Arch Nemeses. It's a big list.) We used toasted almonds for the nut meal, and the dough had a nice nutty flavor. I loved the addition of the spices, although it kept tricking my nose into thinking we were making gingerbread. My taste buds, however, could not be fooled.

The next day, we started cutting our shapes. I have a big collection of miniature "fondant" cutters from Wilton, that I rarely use for fondant but often use for cookies and chocolate decorations. The cookies ranged in size from under 2" to slightly over, and we also made some minis, so we ended up with a healthy number of cookies in the end. I think my dough was rolled a little thick--I thought the resulting cookies could have been thinner, and baked a little less, so the filling-to-cookie ratio was a little higher.
We used several different fillings: strawberry jam, raspberry jam, chocolate-caramel ganache, and Nutella. I was expecting the chocolate-based cookies to be the most popular, but the jam versions were actually the winners around my house! Who'da thunk it? There was something about the pairing of fruity filling and nutty cookie that worked beautifully.
So yes, the cookies were tasty, and I would definitely make them again. They looked beautiful, especially those filled with the jewel-toned strawberry jam. With seasonal cookie shapes, they'd be perfect for a Christmas or Valentine's Day gift plate.

You may be saying to yourself, those cookies sound awesome. What is their secret? Is it special equipment? Premium ingredients? Innate pastry skills that are impossible to duplicate? Well, it might be those things, but truly, the secret to our baking success is love.

...No, just kidding. The secret is saliva! Eat up, fools!

Read More...

Summary only...