World On A Plate

Cookies & Cocoa

               

October in the Bay Area is, in most years, the best month to enjoy Mediterranean-like weather.  However, this weekend skies were gray and reports of heavy rains are forecasted for the days ahead. It's hot chocolate weather.  However I wanted something sweet alongside that treat.

So while it may come as a surprise to some, that for two years I have tried to replicate a pumpkin-chocolate chip cookie offered at the coffee shop in the little hamlet where I live with no success, I decided to try again.  The taste of this cookie: pumpkin with the hint of allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon  makes it a "seasonal" cookie in that I only eat it in the autumn.

I tried many recipes but they weren't of the cake-like consistency that this version turns out.  It's like a firmer pumpkin muffin.  Perfect for a fall afternoon tea break.

Pumpkin Nut & Chip Cookies

4 oz unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canned organic pumpkin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour, all purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

3 tspns pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream softened butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer. Beat in, one at a time, pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon together; combine this bowl of ingredients into the into bowl containing pumpkin batter. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake on center rack for 15-17 minutes.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Adapted from a recipe from the California Milk Advisory Board.

The Baker's Passport - Scotland

                  

Christmas is here. Or so every commercial entity would have you believe. On November 1st I saw the first Christmas tree in the lobby of a movie theater in the City. Really could we at least let the Halloween candy digest? But what it does make me think about is buttery, crisp and crumbly shortbread. To me it is a purely seasonal cookie.

My go-to is the popular export from Scotland, Walkers. While the bars and circle shaped biscuits are popular the long-standing petticoat tails has long been been a curiosity.  While Mary Queen of Scots was fond of these and there's a long history between the Scotland and France  one version says the name comes from the French petit gatelles meaning little cakes; it is generally thought that the name has its origin in the shape, which is similiar to that of the bell-hoop petticoats worn by women in the nineteenth century courts.

Originating from the oatmeal bannock that was served at pagan Yule time celebrations,  the round bannock was often scored in the center with a circle surrounded by wedges symbolizing the sun and its rays. This practice most likely originating from the Scottish New Year’s event called, Hogmanay. This shortbread varies in that it is often larger and a little thicker and decorated with candied citron peel and some almond comfits. In the Shetland and Orkney Islands it is found as Bride's Bonn and has caraway seeds. Another bit of folklore and the superstitious share that shortbread was not cut into portions but rather broken into pieces by hand. Today we’re less bound by these traditions and find them in many shapes and sizes.

Needless to say many of us eat shortbread year round as it’s a perfect pairing with tea, coffee or hot cocoa. While many recipes are handed down within families the secret to many a baker’s prized recipe is simplicity. By seeking out simple, high quality ingredients and a very short ingredient list at that the cookie essentials shine. Recipes vary with an increase of the ratio of flour to powdered sugar and in some the the addition of corn starch or vanilla. The texture of shortbread in the following recipe can be altered by replacing 1/4 cup of the flour with rice flour giving them a more crunchy texture. Or, if you prefer a more delicate tasting shortbread that melts-in-your-mouth, replace 1/2 cup of the flour with cornstarch.

Once you have this recipe in your repertoire you can move on to Millionaire’s Shortbread which is like an uptown Twix Bar.

Simple Shortbread

Traditional shortbread recipes don't usually add salt but do use salted butter it enhances the overall taste.

1 cup softened butter

½ cup powdered sugar

2 cups flour

Pinch of Salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl.

Stir in flour and salt. Mix with hands until smooth.

Spray a 9-inch fluted tart pan or a 9" square pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Press dough into pan. Using the tines of a fork, score dough from the edge of the circle in the center towards the edge of the pan into 12 equal wedges or squares (depending on type of pan you are using.

Bake the shortbread in the middle of the oven 25 minutes or until slightly brown around edges.

Remove from oven. Immediately cut into squares/wedges with a sharp knife

Cool on tea towel and store between waxed paper in a cookie jar.

Variations:

• For a brown sugar version substitute the powdered sugar in equal portion for brown sugar
• For chocolate shortbread add 1/3 cup cocoa to the flour step.
• Along with 1 tsp vanilla extract add one of the following options:
• Grated zest of citrus: either 2 limes or 2 lemons or 2 oranges
• Mix in- 1/2 cup mini chocolate

The Baker's Passport - Iran

       

Aide shoma mobarak

 

Persian New Year, or Nowruz dates back over a thousand years and is a family event to celebrate the coming of spring. The two-week holiday begins the instant the sun crosses the celestial equator. This year it begins at  4:07 and 26 seconds PM-PST.

Norouz means "new day" in Farsi, the language of Iran, which is present day Persia. It begins on the first day of spring and is a two-week celebration of rebirth and renewal. Dating to pre-Islamic times, when much of the vast Persian Empire followed the religion of Zoroastrianism, Norouz today is the biggest holiday of the year in Iran. Schools and businesses are closed, and the well-to-do take vacations or retreat to the countryside.

Foods served during Norouz communicate spring themes. Sweet and sour flavors are meant to represent the duality of good and evil. Eggs represent fertility, and are served in dishes like the popular kuku (somewhat similar to an Italian frittata). Ash reshfte  a warm noodle soup, typically begins the new year meal. The symbolism of the noodles it is said represent wishes for the unraveling of life's knotty problems. The main course for a typical Iranian New Year's meal is sabzi polo hami, or green herbs and rice, served with a white fish sauteed with chopped onion, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and fresh garlic.

The number seven has been sacred in Iran for thousands of years. Significance of number seven historically was to represent the "Seven Eternal Laws", which embodied the teachings of Zarathushtra. The teachings included having a good mind, good guidance, and discovering the ultimate truth among other things.  At this time Iranians prepare a table or sofreh (a plastic sheet used as a tablecloth on the ground) on a rug with a variety of foods. Traditionally, these seven symbolic items are displayed for haft sin, the ceremonial table set for the Persian New Year.   Sofreh-ye haft-sinn or "seven dishes' setting,"  each standing for the seven angelic heralds of life: rebirth;  health; happiness; prosperity; joy, patience, and beauty. The holiday dishes -- each of which starts with the Persian letter sinn -- represent the keys to a happy life. The symbolic dishes consist of sabzeh, or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil, representing rebirth. Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding, and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking. Sib means apple and represents health and beauty. Senjed, the sweet, dry fruit of the wild olive, represents love. It has been said that when the wild olive is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else. Seer, which is garlic in Persian, represents medicine. Somaq, sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil. Serkeh , or vinegar, represents age and patience.  In addition seven sweets are often included:

"On the same table many people place seven special sweets because, according to a three-thousand-year-old legend, King Jamshid discovered sugar on Nowruz (the word candy comes from the Persian word for sugar, qand). These seven sweets are noghls (sugar-coated almonds); Persian baklava, a sweet, flaky pastry filled with chopped almonds and pistachios soaked in honey-flavored rose water; nan-e berenji (rice cookies), made of rice flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with poppy seeds; nan-e badami (almond cookies), made of almond flour flavored with cardamom and rose water; nan-e nokhodchi (chick-pea cookies), made of chick-pea flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with pistachios; sohan asali (honey almonds), cooked with honey and saffron and garnished with pistachios; and nan-e gerdui (walnut cookies), made of walnut flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with pistachio slivers."

                                  ~~excerpted from New Food of Life, Najimieh Batmanglij

A traditional menu includes ash-e reshteh, a hearty noodle soup; sabzi polow ba mahi, fresh herb rice and fish; and kuku ye sabzi, a lighter-than-air herb souffle. As with everything at Nowruz, many foods have meaning as an example: eating the noodles symbolically representing the Gordian knot of unraveling life's knotty problems. Before we wander too deeply into the vast waters of Iranian food culture this needs to work itself back to desserts in the Persian new year with this recipe for the traditional walnut flour cookie enjoyed at this time.

Midnight Cookies- Office Bake Off

                      

Icebox cookies are not new to me. But lately I feel as if I've discovered something new.  Most likely due to a small,  or if I'm honest, a galley kitchen in my new place I appreciate them more for the ease and simplicity. 

In the 1927 the first commercially available electric refrigerator for residential use was available from GE for $300. Most utility companies offered them to customers for $10 a month billed via their monthly statement. As part of the$1,000,000 marketing launch uses and recipes were developed.  The slice-and-bake icebox cookie was born. Most of the ingredients required for the many variations on this theme are on hand if you keep even the most basic pantry.Today they are so convenient that not having a log in the freezer is an oversight.

Yesterday the office holiday bake off was held.  I won first place and audience favorite for Midnight Cookies, one of my favorite and most requested cookies. Really how could I possibly lose? They are pure chocolate cookie with a crispy edge and a chewy center.  Previously I've written of a somewhat similar but (believe it or not) richer chocolate cookie, pastry chef Jacques Torres's Mudslides. 

Oh yes, while these took two top prizes another secret entry under a colleague's name won second. The Pistachio Cranberry  cookie can be found in the recent issue of Gourmet or online.

Midnight Cookies

I call these midnight cookies not only for their dark, deep color but also because they are the perfect treat to sneak as the clock points straight up.

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 cups chocolate chips

Yield 48-60 cookies

Melt the 1 pound of bittersweet chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat.

In a standing electric mixer, whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla at high speed until a ribbon forms when you lift the beaters out of the liquid.  Then turn the speed to low and mix in the slightly cool chocolate (it’s important that the melted chocolate is not steaming hot.)

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.  Add to the batter.  Add the chocolate chips.  The batter will appear soft.  Place the whole bowl into the fridge until it is chilled but not stiff.  It should still be pliable. The batter should be able to hold its form somewhat.

Place a large sheet of wax paper down on the counter.  Pull the batter onto the wax paper and divide into roughly three equal pieces. If it’s not exact that’s perfectly fine.  Now take another sheet of wax paper and one of the three sections and roll it into 10” logs and 2” in diameter.  Shape and wrap the log with the wax paper; continue with the others. Ensure that the ends of the logs are covered so that they don’t dry out.  Place all three wax-wrapped logs into a big plastic bag and chill for at least 30-45 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove logs at least 15 minutes before going into oven.  With a knife—use a chopping knife-- as you need a clean swipe--cut the log  by ½” increments. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Here’s the tricky part you must remove them while they are a bit shiny as that makes the center chewy.  It’s a good idea to bake a few first as a trial run.

Note: The logs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months. 

The Baker's Passport - Cuba

               

Cuba is high on my list of "just once."  Most likely because its off limits to Americans. I can imagine myself out late meeting a suave dark Cuban and learning to rumba while sipping on a mojito, Cuba libre or daiquiri cocktail.  We'd roll on into the morning and have a typically Cuban breakfast of tostado and a cafe cubano.

Cuban bakeries are famous for their finger foods, such as pastelitos, croquetas, bocaditos, and empanadas.  Pastelitos are somewhat like American turnover--a warm flaky exterior wrapped around a filling of either meat, cheese, coconut, guava, or a combination of guava and cream cheese. Bocaditos are small bite size sandwiches layered with a ham spread.  A popular dessert called capuchino.  These small cone-shaped cakes start out are baked until hard and then are soaked overnight in a syrup made from sugar, water, lemon and orange rinds, plus cinnamon and that very sweet liqueur, anis.  The name refers to the shape of the hoods worn by Capuchin monks.

Another local treat that pairs well with a cafe con leche are these cookies from, Moron, in the province of Camaguey. The town is widely known for these cookies. Many bakers who fled Castro's oppression in the early 60's brought their recipe for the cookie to the mainland.  Today the lime sugar cookies can be found in Cuban bakeries in "Little Cuba" in Miami. Sometimes they can found all dainty, sprinkled with sugar or all tarted up with colorful sprinkles.Torticas de Moron

Cuban Sugar Cookies

Adapted from a recipe from the Cocina Cubana Club

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp lime juice
1-1/2 tsp grated lime rind

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix shortening and sugar together.

Slowly add flour, a small bit at a time incorporating well each time.  Watch the dough as you don't want it stiff but not dry.

Add the grated lime juice and rind. When thoroughly mixed, roll the dough into a Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter. Slice the cookies about 1/2-inch thick. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and chill for 30-60 minutes.

Place on cookie sheet covered with wax or parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

5 or < | Peanut Butter Cookies

           

Lately I've become fascinated by the idea of simple food.  What this usually translates to is cookbooks coming off the shelf and lots of reading and researching. My current quest is around how many ingredients does it take for something to taste flavorful while minimizing the number of ingredients, time and a search for non-essential pantry items.  Many may think this combination is not easily found. But my efforts have been rewarded.  As a result I will be exploring this theme frequently here at World on a Plate.

The first entry is peanut butter cookies, a classic American treat.  Good Housekeeping Great American Classics Cookbook tells us that the spread was created in the late nineteenth century as a protein substitute for those with bad teeth. In the mid 20's peanut butter cookies began to appear.  These cookies were usually rolled and cut into shapes. It wasn't until the 40's that the preparation shifted to that of rolling the batter into balls and carried its signature criss-crossed marks from the tines of a fork. 

There are as many recipes for this cookie as there are moms. But this recipe although minimal in components and instructions is full of flavor and sweetness. The cookie is thick and crispy at the edges and a bit chewy in the center and full of peanutty taste.

Simply Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes about 16 cookies

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all the ingredients into a mix bowl.  Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.

Separate mixture into round balls, about 1 tablespoon each.

Place batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Using a fork dunked into water after each impression make a crosshatch pattern on the top of the cookies, pressing to flatten out. 

Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cook the Cover- I'm a Finalist!!

         

Well, color me black and tan!  I'm one of three finalists for this month's Cook the Cover competition at Gourmet Magazine! I know can you believe it?  I can't, really I can't. It's brilliant. 

Some of you will remember this as my entry into this year's IMBB/Cookie Swap. On a complete whim  I decided to enter them into the publication's monthly reader event.  I was certain that my entry would be one of hundreds if not thousands of possible entries.

So here's what I'd like to ask--because although right now as of 7amPST I am in first place with 40% of the voting. However we all know one should never rest until the work is done. After all the Linzers are right on my tail.  I need your support through a daily vote!  Simply vote by going to here  and click on the text next to the big photo that reads--"We've chosen our December finalists." Click the the first entry to activate your vote for my recipe entitled "Black and Tan."

The winner's recipe will be published in a future issue.  There's also an all expense paid trip to the Gourmet Institute in New York City.  Do I get to meet Ruth? Do I?!

Ohmigawd. Ohmigawd. Breathe. Breathe.  Please vote daily! THANKS!  Winner is announced on January 18--my parent's 42nd wedding anniversary.

SHF/IMBB - Cookie Swap

         

It's a party this month for the annual Cookie Swap!  IMMB and SHF are jointly  hosting the mega-event via Alberto at Il Forno and Jennifer at Domestic Goddess.  Aren't they just the sweetest?

The key to eating a black and white cookie, is to get some black and some white in each bite.  "Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate."  so says Jerry Seinfeld in a now classic episode of the show.

'Black and Whites' are the quintessential New York deli cookie.  The Upper Eastside's William Greenberg Bakery  began making these delights in the late 1940s and maintains the tradition today.  They have a cakey domed base and vanilla and chocolate frostings. Zabar's in NYC makes a killer version. There are many versions--the best I can tell you is to stay away from the plastic wrapped versions. My mother made her own version of these cookies and called them 'Half Moons' which I think is far more creative than the former name.  According to a 2001 NY Times article, Molly O'Niell explains, "Outside New York, cookies with black-and-white icing are cookies with black-and-white icing. In Boston, where they are called half-moons, and in the Midwest, where they are known as harlequins, they are considered ordinary and have been around, say most bakers, "forever."

In this spirit I have re-created the cookie and have a new name, 'Black & Tans.'  This speaks to my love of this flavor combination and my Irish heritage. Chocolate on one side and on the other, peanut butter a perfect marriage.  Sophisticated, comfort food no matter which way you decide to eat it.

BLACK & TANS

This recipe is a hodgepodge creation.  The cookie base is from the current issue of Gourmet.  I found the icings to be well, quirky.  It may be my distaste for frostings that have a heavy confectioner's sugar taste combined with the overly sweet tones of light corn syrup.  What's wrong with buttercreams?!  I say mask that confectioner's sugar and so I did.  Purists will say that this is more of a frosting and it's missing a sheen.  But it's my version and I don't think you'll complain at all.

Cookie Base

Gourmet Magazine, December, 2005

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Prepare cookies:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing just until smooth.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed, edges are pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a rack to cool. Note:  Although not indicated in recipe these can be prepared a day ahead.  Store in tightly sealed container.

My Peanut Butter Frosting

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 1/2 tblspns unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 cup half and half

Mix peanut  butter and butter together with a hand mixer.  Gradually blend in the sugar and half-and half.  Blend until fluffy and light.  Can be prepared a day or two in advance, tightly wrapped, and refrigerated.  Allow to come to room temperature before using.

My Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa such as Periginotti

2 1/2 tblspns unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 cup half and half

Mix cocoa and butter together with a hand mixer.  Gradually blend in the sugar and half-and half.  Blend until fluffy and light.  Can be prepared a day or two in advance, tightly wrapped, and refrigerated.  Allow to come to room temperature before using.

Assemble cookies:
With offset spatula, spread peanut butter icing over half of flat side of each cookie. Starting with cookies you iced first, spread chocolate icing over other half.

Tagged with Cookie Swap, IMBB, SHF, Peanut Butter

Scouting for Cookies

The Girl Scouts of America began selling cookies in the 1920s as a way to learn self-reliance and fund their own activities. Girls and their moms began by baking sugar cookies, wrapping them up in wax paper, and selling them throughout the neighborhood for 25 to 30 cents per dozen. Proceeds were used for troop activities and service projects. Over the years, Girl Scout Cookies scaled up to using commercial bakers and billions of cookies being sold each year by girls dressed in brown and green throughout the United States.

Critics say, that selling $400 million in annual sales is counterproductive to fighting childhood obesity efforts.  The cookies are made with trans fats, which can elevate bad cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.  Thin Mints, which make up a quarter of all cookie sales, has only 1 gram of trans fat per serving, which is four cookies. (Phew!)

So what is it about these cookies that compel us to buy several boxes, at $4.00 a pop?  There are cookies on the every day grocery shelf that are probably better tasting than Girl Scout cookies. Maybe it's because they are visible once a year that by the time you seen them you've missed them for the other 11 months of the year that in turn there's this overwhelming pent-up desire to stock-up.  It's always the thing you can't have that becomes more necessary to have--so we buy several boxes.   

Currently two bakers, ABC/Interbake Foods and Little Brownie Bakers, produce the cookies. The Girl Scouts organization requires each to produce Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Sandwiches (also called Do-si-dos) and Shortbread (also called Trefoils).  The bakers name the cookies, and often recycle past names of the more popular varieties. This does explain why so many of us see this year's Caramel Delights and insist on calling them Samoas, or confusing the young girls by asking for Tagalongs, when what they want are Peanut Butter Patties--one of my favorites particularly if pulled from the freezer.

Girl Scouts of the USA is the largest, all-female serving, volunteer organization in the world. Cookie sales teach girls about sales, marketing and money management. All profits from cookie sales go directly to the council in which the cookies were sold. A portion goes directly to the troop responsible for the direct sale.

For recipes using Girl Scout cookies visit The Art Institute of Atlanta Girl Scout Cookoff winning recipes.

Image credit:  Buffalo Erie County Girl Scouts

How Do You Eat An Oreo?

Since 1912 the Oreo Cookie has been one of America's popular cookies. More than 7.5 billion Oreos are eaten a year.  So just how do you eat an Oreo?  My answer, #6, 'twisted apart, the inside then the cookie.'  Note, there's accordian music so if you're at work...