Maple Walnut Icebox Cookies

Normally I don't like shortbread or slice & bake cookies all that much. There are always exceptions of course, and this recipe is most definitely one of them. Rich, deep maple cookies in a shortbread-type cookie that is rolled in walnuts -- oh yeah, this is an exception. And except for a little bit of mess trying to roll the log of dough in walnuts, it is also quite easy to make. Baking them is a breeze of course because you simply slice the logs into individual cookies and bake. Nothing easier.

This recipe, along with the sublime Pistachio Lime Thins, which both come from the icebox cookie section of Carole Walter's Great Cookies book -- is perfect for Christmas cookie shipments too. Both cookie doughs can be made a day or two ahead of time and then sliced and baked quickly and easily. They are great-tasting fresh from the oven, but they are even better after they have cooled and settled for a couple of days, after the flavors have had a chance to mellow and meld.


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsps maple extract
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,slightly firm
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup walnuts, medium chopped, divided
1 egg white, lightly beaten with 2 tsps water

Strain together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse 5 or 6 times the combine the brown and granulated sugars. Sprinkle the maple extract onto the sugar and process to incorporate, about 10 seconds. Stop the processor and scrape the bowl to release any extract that may have settled to the bottom. Process again for 8 to 10 seconds.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium low speed. Add the sugar mixture and mix for 2 minutes, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until well blended. On low speed add one cup of the walnuts and the dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour disappears.

Form the dough into a ball and divide it in half. Using plastic wrap, form each half into a log -- the thicker the log, the bigger the finished cookies. Brush each log with some of the egg wash, then roll the logs into the remaining walnuts, pressing lightly to get the walnut to adhere. Wrap the logs with plastic wrap, twisting the ends to seal securely. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

Slice the logs into cookies about a 1/4 inch thick. Place the slices 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for 1 minute before transferring them to cooling racks.

Lime Meltaways

I was running through various cookie recipes that I could make yesterday and nothing sounded all that appealing. Sure I have oatmeal, raisins, craisins, dried apricots, dried mangoes, coconut, walnut, pecans, almonds, honey roasted peanut, peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, and heath bits -- any combination of which has the potential for a new and interesting cookie to add to the list, but nothing really sounded like something I wanted to try.

Just when I was coming to the conclusion that I would have to make something other than cookies, I remembered a recent post on Smitten Kitchen on Lime Meltaway cookies. Perfect. I even had the limes on hand to make them.

Now, Smitten Kitchen's post talks about the difference between key limes and regular limes and how you should use key limes for this recipe. However, last year sometime I was going through my America's Test Kitchen book and they talked about key limes vs. regular limes and they claimed that in all their testing, they could never tell the difference in flavor. In fact, after all the testing they did, they recommended using regular limes for any recipe that specified key limes because regular limes are bigger, cheaper, and easier to fine. Good enough for me.]

These cookies are quite good and surprisingly not all that sweet for cookies. Only 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in the cookie dough itself, which is why tossing the cooled cookies with powdered sugar is so important. The lime flavor was actually fairly subtle, but still at least noticeable and I have a hunch it will come through stronger in a day or two. I have to say though, the Lime Pistachio cookies I made a while back have a similar concept -- lime used in a shortbread-type cookie, but the Lime Pistachio ones were the better cookies in my opinion. And if you want a really awesome lime cookie -- try these Lime Coconut Cookies instead....

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (a.k.a. 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.

Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of plastic wrap, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Pistachio Lime Thins

I think I might be coming down with something... I made four batches of cookies for shipping this weekend and didn't use a speck of chocolate. Definitely not like me at all.

These pistachio cookies were Chris' choice. A short-bread style slice and bake, rich with butter but flecked with lime and coated in pistachios. I ended up liking them much more than I expected to actually. Like most cookies of this type they are better the second day after all the flavors have a chance to meld. The lime brightens up the butter cookies and the pistachios offer crunch along with their distinctive flavor. Sweet without being overly sweet and rich without overdoing that -- these have probably been my favorite short-bread cookie to date.

Naturally, they were a complete pain to put together. I only had salted shelled pistachios at home, so I had to shell, rinse, and chop a cup of them for the recipe -- it took a while. Other than that the dough was completely sticky and awful to work with. I ended up rolling the logs using plastic wrap because it stuck everywhere and got all over everything -- counters, clothes, hair, hands... Even chilled overnight the dough was sticky and not all that great to work with.

But at least they were worth eating. :) And, they are completely different from your average cookie. So, if you have the time to spend on them, and aren't afraid of getting a little sticky, these are great if you're looking to break out of a cookie rut.



2 cups all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 Tbsp. freshly grated lime zest
1/2 tsp lime oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped, toasted pistachios unsalted
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons of water

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter, lime zest, and lime oil on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and mix until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, then the lime juice and vanilla, mixing well for about 1 minute and scraping down the bowl as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two additions until almost combined. Remove bowl and finish mixing by hand. Don't overdo it, or you will have tough cookies.

Shape the dough into a mound, and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a six inch log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Brush the logs with the egg wash and roll in the chopped pistachios. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight. You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months at this point.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F, and butter a cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Remove logs from the refrigerator. Slice the logs into 1/4-inch thick segments, either straight across or on a diagonal. Turn the log every two to three cuts, to keep it from flattening out. Place the cookies two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. To ensure even browning, you may want to rotate the pan half way through (I only bake one pan at a time when I make cookies, due to the vagaries of my oven.) Let stand for 2-3 minutes before loosening from the pan with a thin metal spatula. If you use a thick spatula, you may break the cookies!

Freeze, or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three weeks.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Coconut Apricot Icebox Cookies

It should be pretty clear by now that I love coconut and that any recipe that includes coconut in the title is quite likely to appeal to me. The irony of these cookies is that I like coconut just about as much as I dislike apricots.

The list of foods I don't like isn't very long, but there are a few things I don't like -- any combination of sweet sauce and meat is completely gross to me, and the idea of fried eggs coming anywhere near maple syrup is enough to turn my stomach completely over...-- well, I suppose those aren't exactly foods I dislike, just combinations of food I don't like. Actually, other than apricots and saurkraut, there isn't much I don't like -- I even liked the fried crickets I tried in Thailand more than I like apricots...

So why did I make a cookie recipe that so clearly featured apricots if I don't like them? I have a rule for myself -- if I don't like a food, I keep trying it in the hopes that one day my tastes will adjust and maybe I will like it. It's happened before, and I'm sure it will happen again, maybe even with apricots... although I doubt it.

The verdict on these cookies is that the bites without apricot are great. Lots of coconut flavor and texture (coconut extract really bumps up the coconut flavor), but then you inevitably eat a piece of apricot and the whole thing is ruined -- at least for me. If you happen to like apricots and coconut and think the idea of them together is good -- you'll like these cookies.

The recipe is from the Icebox Cookie section of my Carole Walters book. They are pretty much a straight-forward slice and bake cookie. The only quibble I had was with the part where she instructs you to plump the dried fruit -- she references you to the back of the book for how to do it, but then the back of the book simply said that you steep them in hot water for a while (which I knew already) and that each recipe would give you the amount of time to steep. Except the recipe doesn't give me that information... being the lazy person I am I said screw it and just made the cookies without plumping the fruit since I didn't feel like guessing or trying to track down the right times.

The only other slightly different thing was that she had you glaze the cookies with an egg yolk mixed with half & half -- I did it and they taste fine, but the thick mixture creates a yellow, almost custard-y looking thick glaze on top... I've never really seen a glaze like that used on cookies before, and while it's fine, I find it a bit odd looking.



Ingredients:
1 (10 oz) package sweetened, flaked coconut
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (6 oz) plumped dried apricots, chopped in 1/8 inch pieces
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 2 tsp water, for brushing the logs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp half and half or milk

Place the coconut in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse five or six times, then process until finely chopped. Set aside.

Strain together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Remove 2 tbsp of the dry ingredients and toss with the apricots. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed. Pour in the sugar in a steady stream, and mix for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix for 1 minute longer, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the extracts.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and blend in 1 3/4 cup of the coconut. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing only to combine after each addition. Using a large rubber spatula mix in the apricots. Shape the dough into three logs (I made two fatter logs) each measuring 8 x 1 1/2 inches.

Place the remaining coconut on a 15-inch sheet of wax paper. Brush each log with the egg wash and place on the coconut, positioning it so that the length of the log is parallel to the short sides of the wax paper. Grasp each side of the wax paper, lift the paper off the counter, and, moving your hands up and down, roll the log to coat it with the coconut.

Wrap the log with plastic, twisting the ends of the wrap tightly to secure. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm. (The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or may be frozen for 1 month)

To Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 325.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 3/8 inch thick slices, turning the dough every two or three cuts to maintain the shape, and place on cookie sheets (I used silpats and parchment paper but the recipe doesn't call for them) about 2inches apart. If the dough tears when slicing, press it back together.

Using a fork, mix the egg yolk and the half and half in a shallow bowl, then lightly brush the tops of the cookies with the glaze. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. To ensure even browning, toward the end of baking time rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Do not over bake. Remove from the oven. Let stand for 1 minute before loosening with a spatula. Transfer to cooling rack.

Strawberries and Cream Cookies

I'm not a huge fan of shortbread cookies, or of white chocolate, so it seems a bit strange that I was so intrigued by these cookies, which feature strawberries and white chocolate in a shortbread cookie. I've had my eye on the recipe since I bought the book though, and since I had finally bought the dried strawberries at the organic market a couple of weeks ago I decided it was high time I tried these cookies out.

I have to say these have been my favorite shortbread cookies to date. The strawberries work really well with the white chocolate and neither flavor dominate the slightly firm and crumbly cookie flavor. Well balanced and easy to make, these cookies are a winner.

I was a bit surprised though by the baking time -- 40 minutes?!? Holy moly that's a long time for a cookie to bake. The oven is preheated to 325, then when you put the cookies in you immediately reduce the temp to 300 -- but even at such a low temp it seemed like an awfully long baking time. I checked the cookies at 20 minutes though and they looked fine so I reset the timer for another 20, and sure enough they looked done at 40.

The only change I made to the recipe is that I used Devon Double Cream instead of whipping cream -- but that was only because I was out of whipping cream. I'm not sure if it made a difference in the texture or the flavor of the cookie, but mine tasted great so at least it doesn't hurt anything.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced white chocolate
3/4 cup dried strawberries, coarsely minced

Preheat oven to 325. Stack two baking sheets together and line top sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, whiz sugar to finely pulverize, about 10 seconds.

In a mixer bowl, cream sugar and butter on low speed until well blended. Then add flour, vanilla, cream, and salt and blend well. When almost blended into a dough, add white chocolate and dried strawberries mixing by hand to incorporate and make a firm dough.

Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface about 1 minute to make dough more firm and get it to hold together. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out gently about 1/2 inch thick and cut into small round cookies, about 2 inches in diameter.

Place on prepared baking sheets. Place in oven and immediately reduce oven temp to 300. Bake until lightly browned around edges about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool well before removing with a metal spatula.

Chocoate Shortbread with Cacao Nibs

Several things led me to this particular recipe yesterday -- Chris' mom was coming for a visit and loves chocolate and I had cocoa nibs in my cupboard that I had never used. I remembered seeing a recipe at some point online that used cocoa nibs -- which is why I bought them in the first place, but my gnat memory was failing me (big surprise there) so I turned to google -- luckily, google didn't fail me.

This was part of the Washington Post's Christmas cookie collection this year -- a recipe that caught my eye when I saw it, but didn't make the cut (for whatever reason) for the great Christmas Cookie Baking Extravaganza. The Post article described them as an adult cookie and I can certainly see their point. They are deeply, dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder) and only very slightly sweet. They are also a shortbread style cookie, but I liked them more than most shortbread cookies, probably because of all the chocolate. I wasn't sure what to expect from the cocoa nibs, but I was surprised by the bitter chocolate flavor they had. They are certainly not something to eat by themselves, but they add a fantastic bitter chocolate finish to the cookie, and a nice texture change.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons cacao nibs (may crush with a rolling pin, if desired)
1 teaspoon fine or coarse sea salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Combine the nibs and sea salt in a separate small bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low; add about 1/2 of the flour-cocoa mixture and mix well, then add the remaining flour-cocoa mixture, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes. Stop the motor and fold in the nibs-salt mixture by hand until well distributed. The dough will be sandy and fairly stiff.

Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin, or flatten the dough and place it between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap; roll the dough into a square 1/4 inch thick. Using a knife or a cookie cutter, cut into 1-by-2 1/2-inch rectangles or other desired shape, and place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back; bake for 8 minutes or until their aroma is apparent and the cookie bottoms are crisp. Let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Margarita Cookies

It's been a slice-and-bake cookie kind of weekend at my house... not that that's a bad thing...

This is the recipe that sent me down the cookie baking trail this weekend -- I mean, come on... Margarita Cookies? What a brilliant idea. Tequila, lime, salt in cookie form... wow, truly inspired. Smitten Kitchen created the recipe by adapting Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Sable recipe and I have to say, it's pretty damn good.

Actually, I liked these a bit better than the base Lemon Sable recipe -- probably because Smitten Kitchen used two limes and half an orange in the recipe, as opposed to the one lemon I zested into the Sables. Plus, any cookie that has tequila in it (I used Patron Silver) is a winner in my book. I thought I might make myself a regular Margarita on the rocks (Patron Silver Tequila, Patron Citron, and a squeeze of lime in a salt-rimmed glass), since the first time I read about the cookies I started craving one, but I ended up mixing the cookie dough together at about 8 am Sunday morning, and I just couldn't quite convince myself that the line "it's happy hour somewhere" counted under those circumstances.

Margarita Cookies
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Sables au Citron

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons tequila
Grated zest of 2 limes
Grate zest of half an orange
2 cups all-purpose flour

Coating:
Approximately 1/2 cup clear sanding or other coarse sugar
2 teaspoons flaky Maldon sea salt*

1. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in 1 of the egg yolks, followed by the salt, tequila, grated lime and orange zest. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s OK—just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

2. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. While the oven is preheating, work on the sugar coating: Whisk the remaining egg yolk in a small bowl until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze. Mix the coarse sugar and flaky salt well and spread the mixture out on a piece of wax paper. Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them, and brush them lightly with a little egg yolk. Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing the sugar/salt mixture gently to get it to stick if necessary, then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/4 inch (7 mm) thick. [Deb note: To get the sugar/salt mixture to stick better, I moved the log over to a piece of plastic wrap, and in the sort of technique you’d see a sushi chef use to shape a roll, use the plastic to press the sugar in by wrapping it tightly.] (You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.

5. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. (It’s fine if the yolk-brushed edges brown a smidgen.) Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature. Because the sugar coating will melt, these cookies are not suitable for freezing.

* Updated to add that if you should choose to use regular table salt and not Maldon, use less! Much less. Probably half or less. Because Maldon has such volume, the equivalent amount of a finer salt would be much more pungent. Better on the safe side than sorry, right?

Lemon Sables

I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen the other day that I absolutely had to try -- Margarita Cookies -- but I didn't have all the ingredients to make them (don't worry, that post is next). However, Smitten Kitchen mentioned that she modified the Dorie Greenspan Lemon Sable recipe to get her recipe, and I had all the stuff to make the Lemon Sables -- so I decided to make a batch of them so that when I made the Margarita Cookies after the grocery shopping, we could do side-by-side taste tests.

I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of shortbread/sable style cookies. It's not that I dislike them, but they just don't do that much for me. Chris assures me these are very good cookies, rich and buttery as sables should be and they taste fine... just not that exciting. Dorie says that you can zest one lemon, or a lemon and a half for these cookies. I only did one lemon, but I think I should have done two since the lemon flavor is very, very subtle.

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
zest of one or two lemons
1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp salt, preferably fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks at room temp
2 cups all-purpose flour
Decorating (coarse) sugar

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the egg yolks and zest, again beating until the mixture is homogeneous.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour and pulse the mixer on low a few times, finally mixing on low just until the flour disappears. Be careful not to overmix the dough, working it as little as possible. The dough will not come together to form a ball, and you don't want it to. Pinch it and it should feel like Play-Doh.

Scrape the dough out onto a smooth work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long; it's easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log. Wrap the logs well and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

To Bake: Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Remove a log of dough from the fridge, unwrap it and place it on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Whisk an egg yolk until it is smooth and brush some of the yolk over the the sides of the dough -- this is the glue -- then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with decorating sugar.

Trim the ends of the roll if they're ragged, and slice the log into 1/3-inch thick cookies (you can make them as thick as 1/2-inch thick, or as then, but no thinner than -- 1/4 inch.) Place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between them.

Bake one sheet at time for 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the midway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden brown around the edges and pale on top; they may feel tender when you touch the top gently, and that's fine. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest a minute or two before gently lifting them onto a rack with a wide metal spatula to cool to room temp.

World Peace Cookies

I love my Dorie Greenspan baking book. It is full of great recipes and very little makes me happier than to flip through it and find a new recipe to try. Even though I post quite a few of her recipes on this blog, I would highly encourage everyone to purchase this book for themselves since I don't include a lot of the variations and pointers that go along with the recipes. And of course, there are so many recipes in here that it will take me a long time to get through them all.

I have had this particular recipe on my short list for a while now. It is clearly one of Dorie's favorite cookies, which I take as a very good sign, and of course the name of the recipe is pretty lofty -- so these must be something special... right?

I have to say I wasn't all that impressed. According to Dorie what makes them extra special is the salty flavor of the cookies, but the Salted Oatmeal Cookies I make left far more of an impression on me. The World Peace Cookies have a great chocolate flavor, but they didn't stand out to me as a "the best cookie ever." Maybe they will improve tomorrow since they are a short bread base and those almost always taste better after a day (the cranberry pistachio cookies were much better the next day), but I don't really know for sure.

There was also no peace in the house when I started cutting the cookie dough into slices and had every one start to crumble apart on me. I was pretty reassured though when I read the section of the recipe and it was clear that crumbly was expected. I started cutting the cookies much more carefully which made a huge difference, but I still had to press several of them back together. Plus, they don't photograph very well, so please excuse the less than great photo. :)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temp
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. (it might make the flour fly depending on the size of the bowl.) If there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more, if not, continue at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough. For the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only until incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours (the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking -- just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Getting Ready to Bake:

Preheat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Using a sharp then knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (They are likely to crack as you're cutting them -- don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes -- they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temp.

Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies

I found this recipe on Epicurious a few weeks back and knew that I wanted to make it as we got close to the holiday season. The pictures on the site showed a very festive cookie, lots of bright red from the cranberries and green from the pistachios, and I happen to like both flavors. The cookie dough was not difficult to make, in fact, it came together rather quickly, but I wasn't happy with the texture of the dough. This is a short-bread type base which means you don't want to over work the dough once you add the dry ingredients, but it also means that the dough tends to be dry. There are techniques to mastering short bread doughs, and I'm not quite there yet. One of the advantages of a short bread though, is that you make the dough one day, shape it into a log and then throw it into the fridge for a few hours. They can be sliced and baked later in the same day, or in the next few days.

I had some problems slicing the dough because the pistachios would catch the knife (one of Chris' very sharp knives) and the fragile dough would break apart. In fact, there were only 3 or 4 whole cookies in the entire batch. I know it wasn't the knife, so either I under (or over) mixed the dough, or pretty much every one who makes these cookies will run into the same problem.

The recipe is here.