Cookies

Snickerdoodle Ice-Cream Sandwich

Published on July 11, 2012July 13, 2012 by Dawn11 Comments

Food trucks seem to be the biggest rage in Seattle these days. Down in South Lake Union, where the new Amazon campus is located, the food trucks have decided to set up camp. My husband has been working in that area for almost 16 years – long before the Amazon Campus moved, and he has watched this neighborhood develop into a food lover’s paradise. At some point, when I actually have time to take a long lunch someday, I am going to meet him down there and we are going to take a tour of the food trucks. Supposedly they even have small bites, so you can really sample your way through.

As I mentioned in this post last year, I always had a vision of an ice-cream sandwich shop, where you sell different types of cookies and different types of ice-cream, and it is up to you to choose. Last summer we actually found a place in New York City that did just that…and I swear the word is spreading. I heard that they now have an ice-cream truck in South Lake Union with the same idea. I missed my calling…

So what is so great about these ice-cream sandwiches? Well, they were made with the most delicious Martha Stewart Snickerdoodle cookies – which go with just about any ice-cream you can find. We chose Cinnamon Ice-Cream, but seriously – what doesn’t go well with a Snickerdoodle cookie? Since my idea for the make-your-own ice-cream sandwich store is foiled, I might as well let you in on my other secret. This is the best make-ahead summer dessert you can find. I usually make a big batch, and individually wrap each one. I stick them in the freezer, and I am set – they are there when you need them. Sometimes I make my own ice-cream, and sometimes I am short on time (or forget to put the ice-cream insert into the freezer) so I go with Dreyer’s Slow Churned – YUM!!! So – this summer, why not open your own ice-cream shop? Or if that is too much trouble, just make a batch of these. Your friends will come over, and it will be just like you have your own ice-cream shop. Or you can drive around and hand them out to all your friends…a food truck is born!

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Dreyers Ice-Cream, softened

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Match up similar sized cookies – take a scoop of ice-cream, and place it on one half. Place the other cookie on top, and slowly press together. Individually wrap in plastic or foil and stick in the freezer until ready to eat.

Makes about one dozen.

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Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Published on July 8, 2012July 9, 2012 by Dawn15 Comments

Summer is finally in full swing here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. After last year’s summer (or lack of one), I think everyone was starting to get a little wigged out – those sunny months we all waited for every year were behind us, Seattle was now truly going to be dreary all year round. Well, we finally broke free of the rain, and it has been incredible all week. It was the most beautiful weekend I can remember, we still have our windows open as I am writing this now. Amazing!

The last few weeks of school were such a blur to me, between the teacher gifts, school concerts, and other special events (many of which I had to bake for) – I am finally now getting to post some of these treats I made. My older daughter’s class was quite something. There was someone with a severe peanut allergy, someone allergic to dairy, a vegan, and a few that couldn’t eat chocolate. Baking for her classroom was always quite the challenge – albeit a fun one. This particular event called for desserts that were either vegan, or seed-free and nut-free. I decided to go for the seed-free and nut-free option. I actually had my daughter pick something out – and she found these delicious morsels in the Fine Cooking Chocolate Desserts magazine we had sitting on the cook book shelf. Half way through the baking process it actually hit me that we were using chocolate – I thought someone had an issue with chocolate? The directions said nut-free and seed-free, which I was following perfectly with this recipe. I decided to keep my mouth shut and just go with it.

These cookies were delicious, and they actually stayed good and chewy for days. They went very quickly that evening, and no one said anything to me about bringing chocolate. I should have brought a sign that said Seed-Free and Nut-Free Chocolate Non-Vegan Dairy Brownie Cookies. Next time…if they ever let me bring dessert to a school function again.

Ingredients

2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more for the pan 12 oz.
3/4 lb. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 oz. (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preparation

Position an oven rack on the center rung. Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment (or grease and flour the pan).

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Stir to combine; let cool. In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium high to a ribbon consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Take the bowl off the mixer. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla; stir to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir the flour mixture and the nuts into the batter; let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip (or into a heavy-duty zip-top bag with one bottom corner snipped to create a 2/3-inch diagonal opening). For each cookie, pipe 1 Tbs. batter onto the lined baking sheet. While you pipe the second tray, bake the first until the cookies are puffed and cracked and the tops barely spring back when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. The cracks should be moist but not wet. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Lavender Honey Madeleines

Published on February 23, 2012February 23, 2012 by Dawn5 Comments

If you have not been following along the last couple of weeks, don’t worry, you still have time to vote! You can get all caught up here. In addition, the Seattle Times decided to write about this little contest going on and I was thrilled to see my picture was used. Hopefully this generated some votes as well…

I love Madeleines, they are definitely one of my most favorite french treat. I have to say though, there is really nothing better than popping them into your mouth right out of the oven, once you have eaten them that way, it is hard to go back. I recently read about a new bakery in NYC where you can order them and they will make them fresh for you while you wait. I can’t wait to go there this summer and try them.

This holiday season one of the people on my team surprised me with some wonderful treats that he mail-ordered from Fouchon – one of the most amazing food stores in Paris. He gave me some to-die-for caramels, and some lavender honey… I wanted to open the honey right there and dig in, but I knew I needed to wait for something…although I wasn’t sure what. One day I was flipping through my recipe pile in the pantry, and found one out of Bon Appetit for Orange Honey Madeleines. That’s when it hit me, wouldn’t they taste better made with lavender honey instead?? I whipped out the honey and started baking. The great news about madeleines is the batter can sit in your refrigerator overnight – and they are so easy to pop in the oven, so there is no excuse not to make them fresh. These came out wonderfully, with a subtle taste of lavender. They were crisp on the outside, tender and moist on the inside, they were perfect. So, the next time you are looking for a special treat to serve your guests after dinner, look no further. Make the batter the day before, and then pop these in the oven after dinner. Your guests will think you are a brilliant – and you can package up some leftovers for them to take home, that is if there are any left…

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lavender honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled, plus more for molds

special equipment

One 16-cookie madeleine pan with 3×2″ molds

Preparation

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and thick, about 4 minutes. Beat in honey, vanilla, and orange zest. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Add 5 Tbsp. melted butter; gently fold into batter. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of batter; chill for at least 3 hours.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Position a rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°. Lightly brush madeleine molds with butter. Place pan on a baking sheet. Drop 1 scant Tbsp. batter into each mold. Bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, invert, and quickly knock madeleines out of pan. Serve warm with some powdered sugar dusted on top.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Lavender Honey Madeleines

Gingersnaps

Published on January 18, 2012January 19, 2012 by Dawn15 Comments

It doesn’t snow very often in Seattle, but when it does, the city is paralyzed. They have been known for cancelling school when only a few flakes come down, so when it really does come down, kids are usually home for days. Today we are on day two, although yesterday they did have school for a whole two hours – so the school system is not counting it as a snow day. They have already cancelled school for tomorrow.

I love when it snows, except for when work gets in the way – which it definitely did today. I had a full day of meetings planned, so I took what I could from home, and the rest were rescheduled. Unfortunately though, I still had a mountain of work to get through…so I missed sledding down the street with the kids today. They were out for a good two hours or so before they came back in absolutely frozen solid. I decided it was time for a break – time to warm them up, and time to start cooking something for dinner. I wanted to utilize the stove and the oven, and cook things that I didn’t have to babysit. I chose some more Split Pea Soup (with the rest of the ham hocks in the freezer) and some Beer Braised Beef. I put them both together in under an hour, and I was able to spend the rest of the afternoon working with that wonderful smell waffling in the background.

Once the kids played for a few more hours (yes, by themselves for hours!!) they started asking about baking. I told them I just had to get a little more work done, and then we could make cookies. I figured since dinner was already done (for two nights!) we could spend our normal dinner making hours baking – they loved that idea.

I wanted to make these cookies during the holidays, but I just ran out of time. I don’t say this very often, but I am saying this now – GO MAKE THESE COOKIES NOW – these were the best freakin’ gingersnaps I have ever had – Cook’s Illustrated said they were the best, but I have found them to be wrong in the past, so I can never be too sure. They were right on this time. They were the perfect cookies for the girls to help with as well – they loved rolling the dough in the sugar. I only made 64, but then again, my cookies were a little bigger than a teaspoon a piece. Also – if you like a chewier cookie, then take them out of the oven at about 6 minutes instead of the 10-12 the recipe says (second round of baking). I have already had a few, and the night is still young.

So – tomorrow is another day, and another day filled with work and meetings – but hopefully since I already made dinner, we can have another baking night…the snow might paralyze the city, but not our baking!

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (12 ½ oz. flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
12 tbs. unsalted butter
2 tbs. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 ¼ cups (8 ¾ oz.) dark brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
2 tbs. finely grated fresh ginger
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
½ cup (3 ½ oz. sugar)

Preparation

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in bowl. Heat butter in 10 inch skillet over medium heat until melted. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook, swirling pan frequently, until foaming subsides and butter is just beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer butter to large bowl and whisk in ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, molasses, and fresh ginger to butter mixture and whisk to combine. Add egg and yolk and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Adjust oven racks to up-per middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place granulated sugar in shallow baking dish. Divide dough into heaping teaspoon portions; roll dough into 1-inch balls. Working in batches of 10, roll balls in sugar to coat. Evenly space dough balls on prepared baking sheets, 20 dough balls per sheet.

Place 1 sheet on upper rack and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, transfer partially baked top sheet to lower, rack, rotating 180 degrees and place second sheet of dough balls on upper rack. Continue to bake until cookies on lower tray just begin to darken around edges, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Remove lower sheet of cookies and shift upper sheet to lower rack and continue to bake until cookies begin to darken around edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Slide baked cookies, still on parchment, to wire rack and cool completely before serving. Cool baking sheets slightly and repeat step 3 with remaining dough balls.

Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Let dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping. Let frozen dough thaw overnight before proceeding with recipe. Cooled cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks in airtight container.

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Cinnamon Swirl Cookies

Published on December 12, 2011December 14, 2011 by Dawn2 Comments

I love baking for so many reasons – I love the smell that fills my house, I love the feel of dough in my hands, and I love how homemade baked goods can put a smile on just about anyone’s face. Most of all, I love that it is something my girls and I can enjoy together, and they love doing it as much as I do. This time of year, I especially love when we get into the kitchen together. We have been baking for the holidays now for quite a number of years – and many of the treats we make I know like the back of my hand, and it is easy for me to cook something while they are on something completely different. Yesterday they were basically in charge of making the chocolate buttons, and they did so all by themselves. I am so rediculously proud of them – sometimes I just have to stand there and watch them.

So what new things have I made this year? This is one of them…I have been eyeing them in The America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies from 2010 for an entire year now. The cream cheese dough really caught my eye. This dough was like silk in my hands, so smooth and creamy, yet stayed together beautifully when rolling out. I loved the idea of spraying the cinnamon sugar after spreading it on the dough – that was a great trick. The cookies were delicious – and the kids loved them. My cinnamon obsessed husband loved them even more. So, this holiday season, I hope you are making lots and lots of treats – but I hope more that you are doing so with your kids. I promise you that everything will come out just a little bit sweeter.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup super-fine sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for filling
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

With electric mixer on low speed, combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, and butter, and mix until crumbly and slightly wet, 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix until dough just begins to form. Finish kneading dough by hand to form large cohesive mass. Divide into 2 disks of dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Whisk remaining sugar and cinnamon together. Turn half the dough onto floured parchment and place another sheet on top. Roll into a 12-by-7-inch rectangle, then trim edges straight. Remove the top layer of parchment and sprinkle dough with half of the cinnamon-sugar, leaving 1/4-inch border along the edges. Spritz the filling with water, and roll dough into a 7-inch log, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Repeat with remaining dough and cinnamon-sugar.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack to the middle position. Trim the edges of each log, then cut each log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake until edges are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes, switching baking sheets halfway through baking. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cinnamon Swirl Cookies

Shortbread Cookies

Published on September 28, 2011 by Dawn3 Comments

I constantly wear three hats…mom, employee/manager and food blogger. There are times when I even get confused as to what hat I am wearing. Like the other day when I told one of my employees something that was meant for my children – or when I am in a stressful meeting, and I just have to pull up a food photo just to put a smile on my face. I try though and keep my three lives as separate as I can, and I find great pleasure when I figure out that other people have multiple lives as well.

For many years I worked with a woman who like me at the time, also worked part-time. That is not an easy task where I work, and I was lucky enough to do that for five years when my children were very little. I remember when she decided to leave the company, I just assumed she would be back to consult, as many people often do that are looking for more balance in their lives. I ended up running into her months later – and that’s when I found out her true passion was food. She started working for a woman in charge of cook-book events. I was so jealous…what an amazing job. Just recently, this same woman started a new venture called Book Larder. She has an amazing line-up of cook-book authors coming to speak, and I can’t wait to see the vintage cook-books in the store. Congratulations Lara, and best of luck on your new adventure!

As I sit here and write this on the first night of the jewish new year – I wish everyone a sweet and healthy new year – and may you all find your passions, and wear as many hats as you can balance…whatever they happen to be. Now go and enjoy these delicious Shortbread Cookies – with homemade raspberry jam thanks to Bon Appetit – yum!!

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
10 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
3 tablespoons (about) raspberry jam

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add butter; using your fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms. Whisk egg and yolk in a bowl; add to flour mixture; stir just to blend.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Measure dough by 2 tablespoonfuls and roll into balls. Place on prepared sheets, spacing 2″ apart. Make an indentation in center of each ball; fill each with 1/2 teaspoon jam.

Bake cookies until golden, 12–14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For a printer-friendly version, please click here: Shortbread Cookies

Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Published on August 28, 2011 by Dawn3 Comments

Years ago I had an idea…I should open a store where I sell different types of cookies, and different flavors of ice-cream, and you can choose the top, bottom, and insides of your custom ice-cream sandwich. I thought it was brilliant, but I wasn’t about to quit my day job, so it just ended up being a fantasy. Over the years, I have seen glimpses of this idea come to fruition – but nothing exactly like it until my last trip to New York City.

New York City is a food lovers mecca – and I have to go every year to get my fix. I love spending weeks figuring out exactly where we are going to eat, and carefully planning each meal. This last trip went extremely well, I am not sure we had a bad dish all week – and we even stumbled upon some bonus places that we were not anticipating (Eataly being one that is not to be missed). A week before we were leaving, I heard about The Meatball Shop – and even though I didn’t have a meal to spare – once I read about this place, I had to switch some things around. We had to go…and we were so glad we did. The meatballs were amazing, seriously, the best I have ever had – but get the dessert – exactly my store. They had 6 different cookies, 6 different ice-creams, and you chose the top and bottom cookie, then your ice-cream – and you have created your very own creation. For $4, it could not be beat. The entire week we were thinking about how we could go back.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I really felt like they were thinking outside the box with this one. I loved the salted sugar cookies along with the lime sherbet mixed with vanilla ice-cream – it was genius. The flavors were perfect together, and if you closed your eyes, you thought you were drinking a margarita. My daughter on the other hand, was not too excited when she bit into the cookie and realized that it was not just sugar on top, it was also salt. She was not pleased. But for adults who love that combination, it cannot be beat. So – if you can’t get to NYC anytime soon, and you are craving a creative ice-cream sandwich, here is a great one for you – although it might just be too good for kids…they need to acquire the taste first.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
5 teaspoons grated lime rind, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
11 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon turbinado sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 cups vanilla reduced-fat ice cream, softened
2 cups lime sherbet, softened

Preparation

Place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg, 1 tablespoon lime rind, and lime juice; beat 2 minutes or until well combined.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon table salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat just until combined.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 6-inch log. Wrap logs individually in plastic wrap; chill 3 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut each log into 16 (about 1/3-inch-thick) slices, and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the cookies evenly with remaining 2 teaspoons lime rind, turbinado sugar, and sea salt. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes on pans on a wire rack. Remove from baking sheets, and cool completely on wire rack.

Place vanilla ice cream and sherbet in a medium bowl; lightly fold and swirl together. Scoop 1/4 cup ice cream mixture onto bottom of one cookie, and top with one cookie. Cover each sandwich with plastic wrap; freeze 4 hours or until firm.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Margarita Ice Cream Sandwiches

Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing (Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies)

Published on July 6, 2011 by Dawn12 Comments

Whoopie pies were a big deal when I was growing up, and they seem to be making a comeback. I remember when I was in high school, I went to my best friend’s house and we made them together. It was that marshmallow cream filling that really did it for me. I couldn’t get enough, or so I thought. I also remember eating so many that I made myself sick. Just like getting sick off of alcohol, that basically kept me away from whoopie pies for years. Even the smell of them made me a little queasy.

Now they are back with a vengeance – you can go to stores and buy special whoopie pie pans, and at the auction we were at this winter, the basket of whoopie pies were one of the items that went the quickest. Now you can get them in all flavors, and I must say – they no longer make me sick… I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and even though the title did not have the word whoopie anywhere, it was written all over the recipe when I read it. I had to give these a try, just to see – and yes, these were definitely whoopie pie-ish. A nice soft cookie, with a creamy and fluffy filling – the perfect dessert you can eat with your hands – and boy did the girls love these, even my older one that doesn’t like cream cheese frosting. A big hit, all the way around!

Ingredients

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup (packed) finely grated peeled carrots (from 10 to 12 ounces; grated on small holes of box grater)
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Place raisins and oats in small bowl; add 1/4 cup water. Let soak until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg, then carrots. Add flour and cinnamon; beat to blend. Stir in raisin-oat mixture and 1/2 cup nuts (batter will be sticky). Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until light golden, about 20 minutes (cookies will be soft). Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.

Icing

Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread icing on cookies.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

Pistachio and Dried-Cherry Biscotti

Published on June 26, 2011June 27, 2011 by Dawn3 Comments

I love a good biscotti – in fact, I would much rather have a biscotti than a cookie any day of the week. I didn’t always feel that way though, over the years I have grown to love that crunchy-not-too-sweet cookie. I remember when I went to college, and my grandmother sent me a care package. I was so excited, I ripped the box open, and there was a big tin of Mandel Bread. I was a little let down. Yes, I did love anything she made for me, but Mandel Bread was just not my favorite. It was hard and crunchy, and not very sweet – but my grandmother was smart. Mandel Bread stays fresh for days, even weeks, in a container. At that point I didn’t drink coffee – but now that I think back to that delicious Mandel Bread, it would have been perfect dunked into a strong cup of espresso.

So – over the past few weeks, with the end of the school year – things have been a little crazier than usual. In addition, work has been keeping me extremely busy these days, starting very early in the morning and going late into the evenings. I have had a lot of baking to do for specific events, and I have had to choose my baked goods very carefully – looking particularly for ones I can bake ahead of time. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I knew they would last at least the three days they mentioned in the text. Usually I like to make biscotti and coat them in chocolate, but the dried cherries with the pistachios looked so flavorful that I would be able to skip a step. These were outstanding – so nice and crunchy, and chock full of cherries. They had a wonderful flavor that went perfectly with a nice cup of espresso. I think they were a big hit at the event I made them for…and fortunately I was good and ready and not stressed beforehand. Thanks Nan for turning me onto these amazing treats…

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp.vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. orange zest
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine first 6 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and next 5 ingredients. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; beat on low speed until combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Fold in cherries and pistachios.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into a 16″-long log. Brush off excess flour; transfer logs to prepared sheet, spaced 5″ apart. Flatten each log into a 2″-wide strip. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until browned and set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 250° and arrange 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third.

Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer biscotti to a work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut each strip diagonally into 2/3″-thick slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on baking sheets.

Bake biscotti, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 40 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks; let cool.

DO AHEAD Can be made at least 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Pistachio and Dried-Cherry Biscotti

Pistachio Baklava with Cinnamon Honey Syrup

Published on April 13, 2011 by Dawn27 Comments

I have always wanted to make Baklava. I remember my first taste of Baklava, it was amazing – all of those layers of luscious honey and nuts – I couldn’t believe I had been missing out on this secret treat. That was about 10 years ago – and ever since then I have been thinking about how I was going to make it myself.

Fast forward 10 years – here I am, with my blog, always looking for the next challenge to post. I saw a recipe in Bon Appetit that Molly Wizenberg posted and I felt like she was writing about me. The thought of making Baklava just scared me! I had to face my fears…but not with that recipe. I needed something with cinnamon and honey – and her recipe was orange cardamom. Not my thing. But, I decided I was going to do it anyway. I bought the phyllo – and better than that – I bought pounds of pistachios. My husband and I spent an hour shelling those pistachios – and they were all ready for me. And then they sat in the pantry…for weeks. He kept asking me when I was going to make it? There was something just not right. I even took the phyllo out of the freezer all prepared to make it one day – and chickened out. Back to the freezer it went.

Then I saw it – another recipe in Bon Appetit – this one with cinnamon honey syrup – that was it – I was going to combine both recipes and come up with a winner. One that would taste ridiculous. So I did it – and it was not easy, and I had to work very quickly – so quickly, that by the time my daughter came downstairs to help me – I was practically done. The one trick I learned? Don’t worry about the phyllo staying in one piece – it’s no big deal it if breaks, you will never know!

The final result was INCREDIBLE!!!! I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders – I DID IT!!! I just wanted to shout to the world – I CAN MAKE A BAKLAVA – and it was sick. It was the most amazing dessert I have ever made. I brought it into work – and everyone loved it, I was so proud. Who ever thought that making a dessert could be so rewarding? But it was…it was the best feeling ever.

Ingredients

2 cups plus 8 tablespoons sugar, divided
2/3 cup honey
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 ounces shelled pistachios, toasted (scant 3 cups)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
18 14×9-inch sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed (from one 16-ounce package)

Preparation

Simmer 2 cups sugar, honey, water and cinnamon sticks in saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil over medium heat until reduced to approximately 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Cool syrup.

Place nuts and 2 tablespoons sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, process until most of nuts are finely ground (the largest pieces should be the size of small peas). Mix nuts, 6 tablespoons sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with some of melted butter. Place 1 phyllo sheet folded over on bottom of dish. Brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat 5 more times with phyllo and melted butter. Sprinkle half of pistachio mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) evenly over phyllo. Place 1 phyllo sheet (folded over) over nuts; brush lightly with butter. Repeat 5 more times with phyllo sheets and melted butter. Sprinkle remaining pistachio mixture evenly over. Place 1 phyllo sheet atop nuts folded in half; brush with butter. Repeat 5 more times with phyllo sheets and melted butter.

Using sharp knife, cut diagonally through top phyllo layer from top left corner to bottom right corner. Cut top layer of phyllo into 1-inch-wide rows parallel to both sides of first cut. Turn pan and cut rows about 2 1/4 inches wide, forming diamond pattern.

Bake baklava until golden brown and crisp, 50 to 55 minutes. Drizzle syrup evenly over hot baklava. Cool in pan on rack. Recut baklava along lines all the way through layers.

For a printer-friendly verison of this recipe, please click here: Pistachio Baklava with Cinnamon Honey Syrup

DO AHEAD Baklava can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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