Apricot Thumbprints

apricot thumbprintsThumbprint cookies: you know you love them. But do you prefer thumbprints with a blob of icing in the middle, or jam? For me, it depends on the day. And yesterday I decided that an apricot thumbprint would be a great idea, thanks to the jar of apricot preserves I had on hand. Fortunately I found this recipe from Knead Some Sweets, and it is absolutely delicious; I adapted it slightly because I didn’t have salted butter on hand, but you can always just add some salt to your dough to make up for that.

This dough is incredibly buttery – and honestly would make a great cookie on its own, without any thumbprinting. You could certainly substitute a different jam if you like, but I think the sharper apricot flavor balances the buttery flavor of the dough really well. These would be great with raspberry or blackberry jam, too.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • About 1/2 cup apricot preserves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and salt until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat to combine, then add flour and mix on low to combine completely.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop generous portions of dough and roll into balls – you want the portions to be about the size of a gumball, or walnut. Place on the baking sheets and use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make the thumbprint indentation. Spoon (or pipe from a piping bag, as I did) apricot preserves into the thumbprints. You can be a little more generous with your preserves, as these cookies spread a bit when baking and you’ll want the preserves to fill out the thumbprint.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Makes 27.

Chocolate Chip Snowballs

chocolatechipsnowballsThe Russian tea cake is one of my favorite cookies. Many different recipes exist for treats like these; some are called wedding cookies, and others snowballs. Some use pecans instead of the classic walnuts, and I recently came across a version that used miniature chocolate chips. That sounded delicious to me, so I decided to whip up a batch and add some orange extract for a chocolate-orange hint.

While they are delicious, I think orange zest would have been a better addition to my dough, so that’s what I’ll use next time. I also scaled back the amount of mini chocolate chips in the dough from the original, which recommended a full cup. You could certainly go with that quantity if you like, but I think a half-cup (or maybe three-quarters to split the difference) gives a better balance between the flavor of the dough and the little morsels of chocolate.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
  • Powdered sugar, for rolling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir together flour and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and orange extracts and beat to combine. Add flour mixture and mix on low until the dough comes together; stir in chocolate chips.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just golden. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, until cookies are easier to handle. Roll in powdered sugar and allow to cool completely on wire racks. Re-roll before storing in an airtight container at room temperature; keep for 2-3 days. Makes about 18 cookies; for a higher yield, use a 1-inch cookie scoop.

Italian Butter Cookies

italianbuttercookiesThe butter cookie is a simple yet amazingly delicious creation. You know them well – there are Danish varieties, Italian varieties, British varieties, and more, all made with simple ingredients and either formed or piped into fun shapes. I desperately wanted those beautiful cookies with defined ridges in them…but alas, my dough was too soft and the cookies spread significantly when they baked.

The challenge with a piped butter cookie is that the dough needs to be soft enough to fit through your piping bag nozzle, but sturdy enough to keep its shape when baked without spreading into things that look like, well, goodness knows what. My dough certainly wasn’t sturdy enough, but these cookies are beyond delicious. I found the recipe below at Cucina By Elena and Mike has proclaimed it one of the best things I’ve ever made.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers
  • Multicolored sprinkles

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt; set aside. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Slowly add flour mixture until the dough comes together.

Fit a piping bag with a large tip; I used both the Wilton M1 and 4B for different textures. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper; I clip mine to the baking sheets with small binder clips to hold it in place. Pipe desired shapes; I did wreaths, swirls, S-shapes, and finger-type shapes. Freeze piped cookies for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just turning golden. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate, melt chocolate wafers and dip cookies as desired; I also created sandwiches with my finger-style cookies, kind of like a Milano cookie. Store in an airtight container and room temperature for 2-3 days. Makes about three dozen, depending on the size of your cookies.

Rum Cake

rum cakeMike requested a rum cake for Christmas this year, and I found this great recipe at King Arthur Baking. One surprise ingredient is the packet of instant vanilla pudding mix, which adds both sweetness and moisture. It’s a wonderful addition, and I’m sure I’ll make other cakes with this technique in the future.

I think Captain Jack Sparrow, my favorite rum-loving pirate, would approve of this cake. Between the batter and syrup, there’s a full cup of rum in it. I used light rum rather than dark because I wanted a lighter flavor, but you could use dark or spiced if you prefer.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3.4 ounce packet of instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup light rum (I used Havana Club)
  • 1/4 cup almond flour, for dusting the Bundt pan, sifted

For the syrup

  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with sifted almond flour; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour (either weighed or scooped and leveled into a measuring cup), sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, salt, butter, and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed until the mixture looks sandy. Beat in milk, then add eggs, one at a time, scraping down your bowl a few times to ensure everything combines completely. Stir in rum and vanilla extract. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside while you make the syrup.

For the syrup, combine butter, water, sugar, salt, and rum in a medium saucepan. Bring to a full boil then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Poke holes all over the cake using a skewer and ladle over about 1/4 cup of the syrup, allowing it to soak in completely before you add the next 1/4 cup. Repeat with remaining syrup until it’s all absorbed. Cool in the pan, then cover with foil and leave at room temperature overnight to set. Full disclosure: I didn’t do this – I let it set for about 8 hours, then turned it onto my cake plate. If you do leave it to sit overnight and the cake sticks to the pan because of the syrup, turn your oven on at 350 degrees and allow the cake to sit inside as it heats up for about 10 minutes to loosen the syrup. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Makes about 16 slices.

Land of Sweets Cupcakes

landofsweetscupcakesOne of my favorite things about Christmas is the Nutcracker ballet. They have a Land of Sweets, my friends, a wonderful place where they celebrate chocolate, coffee, tea, candy canes, marzipan, and ginger with special dances and the person in charge is the Sugar Plum Fairy. Sounds like somewhere I’d love to live, maybe open a little bake shop and spend plenty of time hiking in the enchanted, snow-covered woods. 

Anyway…I’ve had a few Nutcracker-themed cupcake ideas for a while now, and in the absence of readily available sugar plum jam, I’ve turned to the Land of Sweets for inspiration. Flavor-wise, they’re a vanilla almond cupcake with triple berry buttercream, and you could top them with whatever sweets you like; I chose Hershey’s Kisses, nonpareils, Dots, and some fun holiday-themed sprinkles.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

For the cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the frosting and decoration

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • About 1/3 cup Bonne Maman Mixed Berry Preserves
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • Hershey’s Kisses (I used the new Hot Cocoa kind)
  • Large nonpareils
  • Dots candies
  • Sprinkles of your choice; I found two holiday mixes at Joann that included snowflakes, gingerbread men, and peppermint-swirl candy shapes

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners; this recipe yields 14 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat for another 30 seconds. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and canola oil and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Batter will be very thin.

Using a quarter-cup measuring cup, scoop batter into prepared cupcake liners, filling half full. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting, in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and beat until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter; this will take a few minutes. Add preserves and 1 teaspoon milk; you need a pipable consistency, not too stiff or thin. 

Fit a large piping bag with your tip of choice; I used the Wilton 199 open star, which is good for shell-type patterns. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake, then top with candies and sprinkles. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days; refrigerate if storing for longer, and bring to room temperature before serving. Makes 14 cupcakes. 

Anise Twists

anisetwistsEveryone knows a cookie like this: tender, lightly flavored, and absolutely delicious, the type of thing you know someone’s grandma or favorite aunt always made around Christmas. Such are these anise twists, my spin on the traditional anise love knot, because I just couldn’t seem to make knots. There are several recipes for this type of cookie out there, and the recipe below is a hybrid of those. 

I will absolutely, positively make these cookies again, though probably in smaller sizes and perhaps just as round cookies next time; I might also dial back the anise flavoring slightly, because they left me with a stronger aftertaste than I’d expected. Mike loved them, especially how only one side of the cookie is dipped in the icing; he has requested an almond version dipped in chocolate that could accompany coffee, so stay tuned. 

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour 
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon anise extract

For the icing

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk
  • Multicolored nonpareils

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar until light in color, about 3 minutes. Add melted butter and anise and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, add flour about 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until completely combined. 

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead in additional 2 tablespoons flour. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough and roll into 8-inch ropes. Twist together and place on baking sheets.

Bake for 15 minutes, until bottoms are just golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make icing, stir together melted butter, powdered sugar, anise, and enough milk to make a dipping consistency. Carefully dip the top of one end of each cookie into the icing (or use a spoon to pour over; these cookies are incredibly delicate and a few of mine broke in the dipping process). Sprinkle with nonpareils. Allow to set before storing; makes 20. 

 

Chocolate Orange Rounds

embossedchocolateMy dear friend Carrie gave me a lovely embossed rolling pin for my birthday this year. It has a folk art-type pattern of flowers, and I’ve been looking forward to using it for months now. As I’m on vacation this week, I’m baking up a storm, and decided to go with a chocolate orange roll-out cookie to test my embossed rolling skills.

While the cookies look absolutely delicious, they are too bitter for me. I used a King Arthur Baking recipe went with dark cocoa for my cocoa powder, but next time I’ll use regular unsweetened cocoa for a lighter chocolate taste. Mike proclaimed them as delicious and remarked that they’d be good with a pint of Guinness. Perhaps I’ll pick some up for him while running errands today.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • zest of 1/2 a large orange
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and powdered sugar. Add salt, vanilla extract, and orange zest and beat until fluffy. Add flour and cocoa powder and beat on low to combine, or stir in with a spoon. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a regular rolling pin, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using your embossed rolling pin, roll the dough again to imprint the pattern. Using a round cutter, cut out circles and place on the parchment-lined sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are set. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 1-2 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Makes about two dozen cookies.

Vanilla Pizzelles

vanillapizzelleMy Budapest-born grandma Zella made pizzelles throughout my childhood. I like to think that, in a city with proud ethnic heritage like Pittsburgh, she learned to make them from an Italian friend from her neighborhood or local church. In my imagination Zella and this friend swapped recipes, and right now there’s a girl of Italian heritage making apricot kolaches for her family’s Thanksgiving desserts, just as I’ve made pizzelles for ours.

However she learned to make them, Zella’s pizzelles were absolutely delicious. I have her recipe around here somewhere, and am determined to find it now that I’ve given these treats a try. I used the recipe that came with my pizzelle iron, and while they have a long way to go in terms of even color they do taste very good. I started with a basic vanilla, but plan to branch out to anise and almond, and perhaps even chocolate, over the holidays. We’ll see how it goes.

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Preparation

Heat and prep your pizzelle maker according to the manufacturer’s directions; I let mine heat up while I made my batter and brushed it with vegetable oil just before making my first pizzelles.

In a mixer, beat eggs and sugar until light and almost lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add melted butter and vanilla and beat until blended. Sift together 1 cup flour and baking powder, then fold into the egg mixture. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in to combine; the batter will become thick and fluffy.

Using two tablespoons from your flatware, drop a rounded tablespoon* of batter onto the center of the pattern; close the lid and bake for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove using kitchen tongs and cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. My recipe yielded 15 pizzelles.

*The original recipe called for placing 2 tablespoons of batter on each pattern, but when I did that they were far too large and spread out beyond the pattern part of my pizzelle iron. I recommend testing out what amount works for you based on your machine. 

Karithopita (Greek Walnut Cake)

karithopitaEvery year the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church near our house holds their food festival. Mike enjoys their gyros and various other savory dishes, while I head straight for the dessert table to peruse the variety of syrup-soaked treats. My absolute favorite is galaktoboureko, a phyllo custard pie, followed closely by karithopita, a spiced walnut cake soaked in cinnamon and clove syrup.

The next time I make this – and there will absolutely be a next time, probably sooner than anyone thinks – I’m going to add ground cloves to the cake itself. I found this recipe at Olive & Mango, and have to admit that I had my doubts during baking; the batter looked really loose about five minutes before it was supposed to be done, but everything turned out well. I adjusted the syrup recipe from the original to make a smaller quantity, and even my reduced amount yielded way more than I needed. I believe traditional karithopita is cut into diamond shapes, but for my first try I went with regular squares. I highly recommend storing these treats in cupcake liners, because they become incredibly sticky from the syrup as they sit.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 5 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk, warmed but not hot
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped, divided

For the syrup

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 tablespoon whole cloves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking tin and place a parchment rectangle at the bottom. Note: I lined my entire tin, sides and all, with parchment and didn’t like how the edges of the cake turned out, as they weren’t as nicely browned as the rest.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Place baking powder and baking soda in a heatproof measuring cup or large mug; set aside. Heat the milk so it’s warm to the touch, not hot. Carefully pour the milk into the baking powder mixture, stirring with a fork – it will become very frothy, so make sure you use a large cup or mug. Slowly whisk into the cake batter, then stir in flour mixture, followed by 1 cup walnuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is evenly browned.

While cake is baking, prepare the syrup. Combine water, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for a few minutes (I let mine simmer for about 5 minutes) to thicken. Set aside to cool.

Once cake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Using a skewer or sharp knife, prick the cake all over and ladle the syrup over the top, allowing it to soak in. Let stand for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining walnuts and drizzle over more syrup. Let stand for another 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into squares and place each square on a cupcake liner for easier handling/storage. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days; cake can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for about 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months. Makes 24 squares.

Fall Spice Cupcakes

fall spice cupcakesDespite what retailers would have you believe, it’s still fall. And we have a lovely holiday – Thanksgiving – to celebrate this week. I get that Christmas can be a magical time of year for people, and most folks (even those who hate winter) get excited for the holidays, seeing family, spending time with friends, having special foods and whatnot. But when I heard Christmas music while out shopping this past weekend, I thought: not today, Santa. Not. Today.

Perhaps in response to the premature Christmasification of things, I baked these fall spice cupcakes, a warming combination of cinnamon, cloves, maple syrup, and applesauce. I found the recipe over at The Live-in Kitchen and cut it down to make a smaller batch, and I decided on a maple buttercream frosting instead of the original cream cheese one in the recipe. These treats are bound for my friend Diana, who is a fantastic baker herself and one of the few people who ever actually bakes for me.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, at room temperature
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature

For the frosting

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners; my recipe yielded 10 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add maple syrup and egg and beat to combine. Add flour mixture and applesauce alternatively in two batches, mixing to just combine.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into cupcake wells, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove cupcakes from tin; cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute; add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add maple syrup to taste, as well as 1 tablespoon milk to reach a spreadable consistency. Frost cupcakes using an offset spatula; store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for 2-3 days. The tops of these cupcakes get kind of sticky, so a cooler environment is best. Makes 10.