The Barefoot Kitchen » Challenges

Chocolate Peppermint Crackles – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:20:17 +0000

And my last installment! It’s actually only 11 cookies, but frankly, I am cookied out. So I thought I’d finish with something pretty, simple, and highly gift-able.

The peppermint crackles have crushed starlight mints in them, along with a touch of peppermint extract. I added bits of candy canes to the top for a special flare.

It’s time for actual Christmas, and the eating of cookies. Happy holidays, all!

Chocolate Peppermint Crackles

adapted from Bon Appétit

makes about 36

ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup finely crushed red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies
6 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1-2 candy canes, broken into pieces
powdered sugar

how to:

Combine bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolates melt and mixture is smooth. Remove pan from heat. Mix in finely crushed mints and 6 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Cool mixture to lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Whisk eggs into chocolate mixture, 1 at a time, then whisk in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Mix dry ingredients and chocolate chips into melted chocolate. Cover batter and chill until firm enough to shape, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

About 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the oven to warm up. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie, and roll it between the palms of your hands to create 1 1/4-inch balls. Place the balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inches apart. Bake 1 tray at a time until puffed and crackly on the top, about 11 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then press the pieces of the candy cane into the still-soft cookies and let cool all the way. Sprinkle with powdered sugar once they are completely cool, if you want.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dogs
Renee of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project

Spicy Spice Cookies – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:13:43 +0000

Dried mustard in a cookie? Really?

Yes, really.

These spicy, complex little cookies are nearly perfect – a lovely crumbly texture, balance of flavors, and not too sweet. They could easily be dressed up with a coat of icing or drizzle of chocolate, but I love them just as-is.

I’ve also fallen in love with my tiny star cookie cutter – it makes 1-inch or so cookies, that are perfect for single bite snacking. Yum.

Spicy Spice Cookies
Makes about 60 small or 20 large cookies

based on a recipe by Dorie Greenspan, from Bon Appetit

ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

how to:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and mustard.

In a separate medium bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer until it is smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and egg and beat again until well blended. Add the molasses, egg, grated ginger and vanilla. Beat on low until well mixed.

Add the dry ingredients and beat until well blended and the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into four thin-ish discs (you’ll have to roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness). Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you want to roll it out. Place the unwrapped dough between two sheets of waxed paper and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut out cookies and arrange about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 8-11 minutes, until golden. Cool on racks.

Cookies can be decorated with icing after cooling, or coarse sugar sprinkled on before baking.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Hazelnut Blackberry Linzer Tarts – the 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:44:32 +0000

Though Linzer Tarts are a little heavy on the construction, they are infinitley worth it – particularly these, where the cookie dough is filled with ground hazelnuts and cinnamon, and then the cookies ooze with wonderful blackberry flavor. I’ll be bringing this one back for valentines day!

Hazelnut Blackberry Linzer Tarts
Makes about 36 sandwiches.

Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit by Karen DeMasco

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar plus more for decorating
zest of 1 large orange
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups hazelnuts, finely ground in processor (about 1 1/2 cups ground)
powdered sugar
Blackberry jam

to do:

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.

Beat the butter, sugar, orange and lemon zest until fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat. Add the dry ingredients in four parts, then beat in nuts. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disc. Chill for 1 hour (up to 1 day)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 thickness. Cut out 2-inch circles. Cut the center out of half of the cut circles to make rings. (I baked off the centers on a seperate sheet just to eat)

Bake cookies until golden, about 22 minutes. Rotate sheets halfway through. Let cool on racks.

Assemble the cookies – sprinkle the cookies with holes in the center with powdered sugar. Put a heaping teaspoon of jelly on the solid cookie and gently press the two halves together.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Chocolate Chocolate Thin Mints – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:43:42 +0000

Channeling the green box that the girl scouts love to tote, these little minty chocolaty cookies were a nice change. Slice-and-bake instead of rolling out makes for slightly less even rounds, but the chocolate drizzle adds some elegance, and makes for a pretty present cookie.

Three more to go…

Chocolate Chocolate Thin Mints
adapted from Bon Appétit

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 large egg

6 ounces good quality very dark chocolate

to do:

Mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in peppermint extract and vanilla extract, and sugar. When blended, add the egg and beat again. Add the dry ingredients and make a sticky-ish dough.

Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and form into a 2-inch diameter log. Wrap thouroughly and refrigerate until slice-able, a few hours to a day.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices. place slices on baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake until edges are dry, about 15 minutes. Let cool on racks with parchment underneath to catch the chocolate drizzle.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a boiling pot of water. Let sit about 10 minutes to cool. Dip a fork into the chocolate and shake back and forth across the cookies to drizzle. I did it both ways to make a cross-hatch pattern.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Orange Ginger Cookies – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:23:33 +0000

Ok, so I might have promised 12 days of cookies, but did I say they would be in a row???? Zing!

Life gets in the way of baking sometimes, but I’m still having fun with these, and now my friends and coworkers have these sad puppy dog eyes when I don’t carry cookies everywhere I go. So for my last week of baking, I’m getting back into the swing of things and trying a few more cookie recipes.

These look a lot like the last ones…mostly because I don’t have fun cookie cutters. But they couldn’t taste more different – light and airy, citrus and ginger, with just a touch of plain glaze to set them off. Way too easily munch-able for my waistline’s sake.

Orange Ginger Cookies

based on a recipe from Bon Appetit

makes about 3 dozen

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar
5 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

equipment:
parchment, cookie sheets, cooling racks

to do:

Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg and salt to combine. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until blended. Stir in the molasses, egg, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts and beat until just blended. Gather dough into a ball and divide into 4 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until cold and firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Roll out one peice of dough at a time to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut using your favorite cookie cutter. The cookies won’t spread much, so they can be placed close together. Gather scraps and re-roll dough, rolling and cutting until finished.

Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate sheets and bake an additional 5 minutes (time will need to be adjusted based on the size of your cookie – these timings based on a 2-inch round.) They will be done when cookies are puffed and look slightly darker around the edges.

Cool cookies on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to the cooling rack with an additional sheet of parchment underneath.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and extract, until you have a thick gluey paste (add more water or sugar as necessary). Pour into a pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag, and snip off the bottom corner. Drizzle the icing back and forth across the cookies. Let set until hardened, at least 3 hours.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Juniper Gingerbread Cookies – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:21:30 +0000

It had to happen eventually – I missed a day. I call excuse from the fact that I spent Sunday crossing three time zones and losing many hours in the process. But I’m back, and at least today…there are cookies.

These ones scared me a bit – I had no idea what juniper berries were, and upon hearing that they were “piney”, I wasn’t sure the taste of wood translated into deliciousness. But I was pleasantly surprised – the glaze does have a green, Christmas-y aroma, that goes very nicely with the gingerbread cookies. The cookies are a perfect crispyness and nice crunch, softened just a touch by the sugar glaze.

Juniper Gingerbread Cookies
makes about 32 cookies

ingredients:

cookies:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark molasses

glaze:
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup dried juniper berries, crushed
1/2 pound powdered sugar

equipment:
squeeze bottle or plastic bag, parchment, electric mixer

to do:

Whisk together flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and molasses and beat again until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until it becomes a dough. Divide into 2 parts, form into discs, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 4 hours.

Make the glaze: bring the half and half to a simmer, and add the juniper berries. Cover and let chill for 4 hours. Strain the liquid. Place powdered sugar in a bowl, and mix in the liquid by tablespoons until it forms a glaze. Put in a squeeze bottle or ziplock bag for decorating.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let warm slightly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheets with parchment. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter and lay the cookies about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they begin to darken.

Let cool on a rack. Drizzle with the glaze from the bottle or by cutting a small corner off the plastic bag. Let sit until glaze is set.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:01:44 +0000

These are…well….delightful. Like the best thing a chocolate chip cookie should be. I’m a big fan of the cranberries, if you haven’t noticed, and adding the macadamia nuts adds not only some nutty flavor but also a bit of salt. I’m also not usually a white chocolate fan, but here it works – nuggets of sweet silkiness.

These are the easiest cookies thus far – mix, fold, drop, bake. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

makes about 2 dozen cookies

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts

equipment:
parchment paper, cookie sheets

how to:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together to combine. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until blended. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the cranberries, chocolate, and nuts and fold in gently with a spatula.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Make 1 1/2 inch balls of dough with your hands and set them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet, pressing them down gently. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Cinnamon Walnut Shortbread Cookies – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:00:20 +0000

For all that I love baking, I don’t have too much of a sweet tooth. I prefer subtle sweetness, and rich butteryness over a blast of sugar. And shortbread is at the top of my list of delights.

The walnuts gave these cookies a really nice, rich flavor. I did add chocolate to some, though many I just left plain, ready to accompany my now daily coffee-and-cookie break.

I’m always torn with recipes about reading the comments – on one hand, I love the value that all the different cooks bring to the table (like with this challenge!). On the other, I like to experiment for myself. But had I read the comments, I would have know that the original recipe’s dough was quite dry. I solved the problem by adding the tablespoon of milk, which seemed to pull things together better. I also opted for dark brown sugar instead of light, so my cookies have a less delicate color to them.

Read the recipe below, and be sure to check out my fellow baker’s work as well!

Cinnamon Walnut Shortbread Cookies

makes about 3 dozen

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, finely chopped
1 tablespoon milk

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

equipment:
parchment paper, cookie sheets, cooling racks

how to:

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon and salt to blend. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until it is well blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the walnuts and the milk, and form the dough into a disc – it may be slightly sticky. Wrap it in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. cut the disc into four pieces for easier rolling.

Sprinkle a board or the counter liberally with flour. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using your favorite cookie cutter (I used a 1 1/2 inch circle), cut out the cookies (the dough scraps can be re-rolled). Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate an additional 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes until golden. Set on a rack to cool.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Let cool 5 minutes, then drizzle the cookies with chocolate, dripping it from the spoon or using a pastry bag. Let sit until the chocolate is firm.
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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Orange Almond Lace Cookies – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:04:21 +0000

These cookies looked so fancy and delicate, I just couldn’t resist. It also helps that I’m a sucker for oranges and almonds – what could be better than the combination?

I cite one of my co-worker’s quotes here – “These cookies are to DIE for.”

Light, crispy, pretty, sweet, with a touch of salt, they are a lovely specimen of the cookie family.

I’m not sure how gift-able they are, simply because they are so delicate, but they are most certainly a “wow…” cookie.

Orange Almond Lace Cookies

makes about 2 dozen

ingredients:3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon orange extract1 1/2 cups finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten

equipment:
baking sheets, parchment paper

how to:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. When melted, stir in the orange extract and remove from the heat. While it melts, stir together the almonds, sugar, flour, zest and salt. Add the butter and stir to combine. Then add the beaten egg, and mix thouroughly.

Line the baking sheets with parchment. Drop generous tablespoonfuls of batter about 3 inches apart on the sheet, because the cookies will spread.

Bake 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies look lacy and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Slide the parchment and cookies off the baking sheet and onto a counter or cooling rack to finish cooling. Start each batch with fresh parchment and a cool cookie sheet. Store on sheets of parchment or waxed paper to keep from sticking.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Brownie Thins – 12 Days of Cookies

Claire — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Day 2, and on to some chocolate.

I am not a chocolate eater, but I know that I am a rare in that, so I have learned to both turn out and appreciate a good chocolate dessert. These Brownie Thins are a delight – chewy and crispy at the same time, they truly do taste like the top of a brownie.

In case you missed yesterday’s post, it’s time for the second annual 12 Days of Cookies challenge – check out the links of my fellow participants at the bottom of the post!

Brownie Thins

based on a recipe from Bon Appetit

makes about 2 dozen

ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

equipment:
parchment paper, glass with flat bottom

how to:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until almost completely melted, about 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Add sugar and egg, and blend with smooth. Add flour, vanilla, salt, and stir just to blend. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheet, about 12 per sheet. Cover the flat bottom of a glass with saran wrap and spray with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Press the cookies flat to make 2 1/2 inch discs. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until slightly darker at the edges and firm in the center about 7 minutes. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

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The 12 Days of Cookies Participants:

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes (honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dogs
Renee of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project