Apricot Sugar Cookies

So I've been craving apricot cookies for about 4 months, but didn't really have any reason to make these.  I have limited cookie cutters and the only pair that makes these cookies well is the circle and heart combo.  Which makes them perfect for Valentine's Day.  I did make some strawberry because I had some strawberry jam lying around and not everyone likes apricot.

I got the recipe from my mom :).  Thanks Mom!

3 c flour

1 1/4 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

3/4 c butter, room temp

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

apricot preserves

 

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; set aside.  Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Gradually add flour mixture and beat until well blended.  Cover and chill at least one hour.

 

Line cookie sheet with foil; set aside.

 

Roll dough to 1/8-in thickness on lightly floured surface.  Cut out with 2 1/2-in diameter cookie cutter.  Cut centers out of half the cookies with 1-in diameter cookie cutter.  Transfer cookies to foil lined sheets.

 

Bake at 375 degrees until just beginning to brown on edges, 6 to 8 min.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.

 

Spread 1 t apricot preserves over each whole cookie.  Top with remaining "cut out" cookies sandwich style.  Makes 2-1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.  Centers can be baked as a separate treat; watch carefully, they bake quickly.

I topped the heart shaped middles with a little strawberry frosting:

Strawberry Frosting 

• 2 Tbsp of butter at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp Cup Strawberry Preserves
• 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar

Christmas Cookies

Although I usually love baking, when Christmas comes around, I'm usually a candy maker.  I also do not prefer spice cookies, largely because they are often heavy on the ginger and molasses, ginger which I can take in small doses or in savory foods and molasses which I prefer to avoid.  But Tuesday I decided to make cookies.  I had some plans, all of which required getting extra ingredients, but it was 23 when I got up, so I decided to try to bake with what I had instead.  Which, based on my spice cabinet, is spice cookies.  My favorites were probably the tea cookies.  I used Samurai Chai Mate from Teavana, though the recipe calls for Lady Grey, I decided to use what I had and I thought Chai sounded good and Christmasy.  I could see Jasmine working in spring.  The picture (which admittedly is a little fuzzy) is what I had left today, mostly the Chocolate Box cookies.  All were pretty easy and I managed to bake all of them start to finish except for dipping all of the Chocolate Box cookies in less than 4 hours, plus a good deal of the cleanup.

Chocolate Box Cookies (makes about 50)
1 1/2 c self rising flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 tsp apple pie spice (I used a heaping half teaspoon of cinnamon, slightly more than a 1/8 tsp of allspice, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ginger and a dash of cardamom)
1/4 c unsalted butter at room temperature
generous 1/2 c caster sugar (I used 1/2 c regular and it was fine), oh and generous means plus 2 Tbsp per cup
1 egg
1 egg yolk (in other news, I need to make meringues because I have 9 egg whites in my freezer)
For decorating:
Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
White chocolate
Cocoa powder, almonds, cinnamon, etc

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Put flour, cocoa powder, spice and butter in a food processor (or use your hands).  Process until thorougly blended  Add sugar, egg, egg yolk, and mix into smooth dough.
3. Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently.  Cut the dough in half (I actually used fourths because I misread "lightly" as "well" and pushed the flour to the other side of my cutting board and therefore worked on a smaller surface) and roll each piece in the palms of your hands (misread that too) to form two logs 13 inches long.
4. Cut into 1/2 slices (this may even be too thick if you really want to make these look like chocolate box pieces, which is the goal).  place slices on greased baking sheet.  Chill for at least 30 minutes (oops, I missed this part completely).
5. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly risen. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
6. Decorate by melting chocolate and dipping, drizzling and otherwise making pretty as you see fit.  I really don't think you need instructions for this.  Just make them pretty as you want them to look.

Spicy Pepper Cookies (makes about 48)

Quick note: These don't have raw eggs so I tasted the dough and was worried about the amount of pepper I added, but after baking, it became more subtle.  Though I would recommend tasting the dough to make sure none of the flavors are too weak.

1 3/4 c flour

1/2 c cornstarch (oops, I missed this, but I'm sure it's for the texture and I liked the texture they ended up)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 c butter at room temperature

scant (I just unpacked) 1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 c whipping cream

3/4 c finely ground almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and spices.
2. Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and lemon zest.
3. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cream (it's hard to alternate when there is only a 1/4 cup, but I added it in 2 additions), starting and ending with the flour mixture.  FYI, I know this is terrible form, but to save myself an extra bowl, I measured the flour, added some at a time and 2-3 of the other ingredients at each addition.  It worked fine, though not perfect.  And I missed the cornstarch.
4. Stir in the ground almonds.
5. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls (I assumed that was radius, based on the picture in the book, and with that assumption, I got 41, which is about right considering I forgot the cornstarch)
6. Bake on ungreased (my sheet had a little leftover grease from the chocolate box cookies) baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown underneath.
7. Leave cookies on the sheets for about a minute to firm up before transferring to a metal rack to cool.

Tea Finger Cookies

10 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 c light brown sugar

1-2 Tbsp tea leaves (the book says Lady Grey, but use whatever)

1 egg, beaten

1 3/4 c flour

demerara (raw) sugar for sprinkling, though I used turbiando since someone gave it to me, so that's what i had

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Stir in tea leaves until well combined.  Beat in egg, then carefully fold in flour.
2. Using your hands, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a cylinder about 9 inches long
3. Gently press down on the top of the dough cylinder, wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate for about an hour until dough is thin enough to slice.
4. Preheat oven to 375
5. Using a sharp knife (even better, a floured knife), cut dough cylinder into 1/4 inch slices.  Place parchment paper on 2-3 baking sheets and lay the slices on the baking sheet, slightly apart.
6. Sprinkle cookies with a little demerara sugar and bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Cookies

So I took my second qual on Friday and it didn't go so well. What is the easy solution to a bad mood? Baking of course! So I called a friend and we decided to make some cookies for our friends at Case to welcome them back the school year. They are two recipes I've been meaning to make, but haven't really had a reason to make 3 dozen cookies. Because if I had 3 dozen cookies in my apartment, I would eat them in about 3 days, which probably isn't healthy.


Black Forest Cookies

These might give a run for my favorite cookies except for the fact that the chocolate chunks melted a little too much and you couldn't tell they were in there. Maybe we overbaked them a little? I usually bake my cookies a little less than the suggested time so they are still kind of goopy and half crumbly, but we had to bake the full time since they are traveling cookies. Oh well, they are chocolatey with a the tartness of dried cherries and I just love that.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 package (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1 1/2 cups dried cherries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder; and salt; set aside.
2. Place chopped chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; whisk in sugars, then eggs, until smooth.
3. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined (do not overmix). Fold in chocolate chunks and dried cherries; press plastic wrap directly onto surface of dough, and refrigerate until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Drop mounds of dough (equal to 2 level tablespoons) about 2 inches apart onto prepared sheets. Bake just until edges are firm (but not darkening), 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Swirl Cookies

These did not turn out well, but they taste good. They just look bad. My friend may have forgotten some flour because the dough was extremely sticky and then didn't hold together when they baked. Also my recommendation for these is to either do it in a cool place, or stick the dough in the fridge after you put the crumblies on top, immediately before you roll it. It's easier to roll when it is cold (roll the parchment, not just the dough). Then refridgerate it (or even freeze it a little) before cutting it, and use a sharp knife. I did this and mine turned out better than my friend's. Also, you might want to make more filling, I didn't feel like there was enough. The picture shows the goopy messiness. But like I said, tasty. And you can definitely taste the orange, so you might want to put a little less in so it is more subtle.

• FOR THE DOUGH
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 2 large eggs
• FOR THE FILLING
• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Make the dough: Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Beat butter, sugar, and orange zest with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture gradually, and beat until just combined. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Turn half the dough onto floured parchment. Roll into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, then trim edges straight. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Transfer rectangles on parchment to a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm but pliable, about 10 minutes.
3. Make the filling: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Crumble mixture evenly over rectangles. Starting on a long side, roll 1 rectangle into a log, and wrap it in the parchment. Repeat with remaining rectangle. Refrigerate logs for 1 hour (or overnight).
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake until edges are golden brown, about 19 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

A few months ago, I made Chocolate Banana Oatmeal cookies that turned out okay, but tasted like they were missing something. Well this time I had Skippy Natural Peanut Butter which has a little too much salt for my taste, so I figured it would be tasty for baking while just leaving out the salt (which is probably something you aren't supposed to do, but I thought it worked pretty well in this case) and a bruised, but not too overripe banana, which I thought would be perfect for making something peanut butter/banana-y. So I looked up my old recipe and found some places to make modifications. With all the extra peanut butter, it required a lot more oatmeal, but I think they turned out great! Plus, they are decently healthy, at least for a recovery after run snack. Again, I approximated, but it went something like this:
1 mashed banana
1/2-3/4 c peanut butter
1 egg
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 c cocoa powder
~1 c oatmeal
Chocolate chips/chunks to taste

Beat mashed banana, peanut butter, egg, butter, brown sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla and continue beating. Add cinnamon, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa. Blend well. Then slowly add oatmeal until it reaches the desired consistency. Add chocolate chips if desired.

Bake for about 10 minutes at 350.

Yield about 24 cookies.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for these, I got them from "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" in an article at Christmas time featuring less traditional Christmas cookies (the chocolate raspberry raviolis were a huge hit at our family Christmas party, as well). We were going to make them, bought all the ingredients and then lost the recipe. I managed to find it online and saved the recipe to my computer. These might be the best cookies I've ever made. Okay, I love the standard Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe, probably more than anything. One of the best excluding those (I mean, come on, as much as I love them, they are kind of boring). These are very good, a great chocolate flavor with a little more interest than just that. Without further ado:

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

5 ounces bittersweet (60% to 70%) chocolate, coarsely chopped

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Dash of black pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 ¼ cups sugar

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, room temperature

1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chocolate in a small glass bowl; microwave on high (100% power) 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine flour and seasonings and stir to combine. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat sugar and butter with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended, about 5 minutes. Add egg and beat well. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat just until blended. Add reserved flour mixture; stir until combined.

Drop dough by level teaspoons 2 inches apart on cookie sheets coated with vegetable oil spray. Bake in preheated oven 6 to 8 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven. Cool on pans 2 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Banana Oatmeal cookies

I had a very overripe banana (and only one so no good for bread) so I decided to try to make banana cookies, but since I'm not a huge fan of banana baked goods, I added cocoa powder too (peanut butter would be better instead/in addition to the cocoa, but two of my friends are allergic to peanuts, so I decided to make them shareable). I didn't measure much (for instance the brown sugar and vanilla were just finishing off a package), but I'll do my best to guess. Though I would probably recommend more vanilla, mostly because I put at least a teaspoon in everything I bake. Also note that I usually use a heaping measure of cinnamon, so when I say 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, I probably used closer to a full teaspoon, but I do this for all recipes as a matter of personal taste. I would however suggest using more butter, using peanut butter, or adding chocolate chips. Or all of the above. As with the brownies, I underestimated the fat, so if i make these again, I will certainly use more.

1 medium banana
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4-ish cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2+ teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup flour
3/4-1 cup oatmeal (or until dough is not too moist and holds together)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350. Mash the banana beat in egg, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, until smooth. Add flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal, cocoa, and baking powder. Add oatmeal until it reaches the desired consistency. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet by heaping teaspoon. It made 15 small cookies. Bake for about 10 minutes.