Baking cookies with Mom
Mocha Nutty Chocolate Squares
Makes: 40 squares (1 1/2 inch)
Prep: 15 minutes. Bake: at 350 degrees for 26 minutes.
1/3 cup instant coffee powder
1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1. Heat over to 350 degrees (F). Coat 13 inches x 9 inches x 2 inches baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In small bowl, dissolve coffee powder in boiling water.
2. In bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda.
3. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar and egg on medium speed with electric mixer until creamy, two minutes. On low speed, beat in flour mixture, alternating with the coffee, beginning and ending with flour mixturer. Stir in walnuts. Spread in prepared pan.
4. Bake in 350 degrees F oven for 25 minutes, until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle mini-chip overr top. Bake 1 minute. Remove fom oven; spread melted chips evenly over top. Cool in pan on wire rack.
5. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Drizzle with white chocolate.
NOTE: We never do the white chocolate part, so it can easily be omitted.
Basic Dough
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, separated
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks thoroughly (reserve egg whites). Mix in remaining ingredients. Shape into a ball; divide into 4 parts.
Walnut Bars
1/4 Basic Dough (above)
1 egg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 tablespoon salt
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat dough in ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 inches. Bake 10 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over crust. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes; cool completely. Cut into bars, about 2x1 inch. Makes 32 bars.
NOTE: We make this in a 9x13x2 inch rectangular pan, because we double the Basic Dough recipe.
Thumbprint Cookies
1/4 Basic Dough (above)
2 egg whites (from the egg whites reserved from the Basic Dough)
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
jam or jelly
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Beat egg whites slightly. Dip balls into egg whites; roll in walnuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb or finger gently into each cookie. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes; cool. Fill thumbprints with jam. About 24 cookies.
NOTE: we omit the egg whites entirely, and Mom rolls the balls in colored sugar to add a festive touch.
Three-Pepper Spice Cookies
Prep: 40 minutes Chill: 4 hours
Bake: 8 minutes per batch Oven: 375 degrees F
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red chile
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
Medium-grind black pepper
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon shortening
1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, ground red chile, the 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and red pepper (cayenne). Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg and milk until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour. If necessary, knead dough slightly to blend. Shape dough into a ball. Divide dough in hal. Shape each half into a 6 1/2 inch-long roll or log. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper; chill 4 to 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut rolls in 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle cookies with medium-grind black pepper. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
3. In small saucepan melt chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring occasionally. Dip each cookie halfway in melted chocolate; shake off excess. Place chocolate-dipped cookies on waxed paper. Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes about 60 cookies.
NOTE: we omit the chile.
Vanilla Crescents (Ahaha, ours did NOT turn into crescents, but they're unbelievably tender and delicious)
Makes 36
1 1/4 cups unblanched almonds
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar, for dusting
1. Grind the almonds with a few teaspoons of the flour in a food processor, blender or nut grinder.
2. Sift the remaining flour with the salt. Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the almonds, vanilla, and the flour mixture. Stir to mix well. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.
6. Break off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into small cylinders about 1/2 inch in diameter. Bend into small crescents and place on the prepared cookie sheets.
7. Bake until dry but not brown, about 20 minutes. Set the rack over a baking sheet and dust with an even layer of confectioners' sugar.
NOTE: as mentioned above, ours flattened instead of turning into crescents, so we ended up making balls for the rest, which flattened into circles. And we didn't dust with sugar at the end. These cookies are very delicate, and very, very delicious.