Chinese Restaurant Almond Cookies

chineserestaurantalmondcookiesConfession: Asian food isn’t really my jam. No offense, Asia – I know your various cuisines are popular with many, many folks. And while I enjoy some fried rice now and then, I haven’t spent must time in Chinese restaurants in my life. I’ve certainly not encountered these cookies there, either. But they do seem familiar to me.

Our local grocery chain, Giant Eagle, used to sell something called a “rainbow cookie” in its bakery. They were usually swirled with a few different colors – green and yellow, red, white, and blue – and they had the same crumbly texture as these treats. This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, and the only change I made was to omit the whole blanched almond in the middle since I didn’t have any on hand. There’s also an option to glaze these with chocolate, but I think they’re better plain.

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut chilled shortening into cubes, then cut into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture is uniformly crumbly.

In a separate bowl, whisk vanilla extract, almond extract, egg, and egg yolk. Sprinkle over the flour/shortening mixture and stir until a cohesive dough forms; I used my hands to fully incorporate the ingredients and make a smooth dough.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop generous portions of dough and roll into balls. Place on the baking sheets and flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness; bake for 16-18 minutes, until just set; this means a fingerprint will remain in the cookie and not spring back. You don’t want to over-bake these, otherwise they’ll be too hard, so I’d err on the side of under-baking just slightly and allowing the cookies to cool a few minutes (and continue baking) on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

peanutbutterswirlbrowniesI don’t usually have kitchen disasters (not to sound like The Most Interesting Man in the World), but when I do, I learn from them. Last week I baked peanut butter swirl brownies, and although the recipe said to pull them when they still jiggled in the middle, I ignored my baker’s instinct to discover, once cooled, that they were raw in the middle. Not gooey or fudgy like a brownie should be, but actually raw. Inedible raw. Food-poison-risk raw.

To the internet I went, in search of another recipe, and I found this one at Mike Bakes NYC. I’m pleased to say that this turned out very well, even if they are likely to spike your blood sugar in dangerous ways because they’re so rich. Seriously friends, it’s probably a good thing they only bake in an 8×8 pan.

Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the swirl:

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 tin with parchment paper or foil; if using foil, spray with baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. In a medium bowl, whisk butter, eggs, and vanilla; add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined; pour into prepared baking tin.

To make the swirl, whisk the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the brownie batter and swirl with a dull knife.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in a non-swirl part of your brownies comes out with a few fudgy crumbs. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store at room temperature. Makes 16.

Espresso Cookies

espressocookiesThe King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion bills these treats as spiked coffee cookies – but really, I couldn’t taste anything but chocolate and espresso. Hence, a rebrand. No offense, King Arthur.

Full disclosure – I adapted these treats to omit the coffee liqueur in the ganache, because I’m not that big a fan of it. They still turned out pretty well – like an espresso for the end of a meal, as they were billed in the cookbook. I think you’d be fine to omit the coffee liqueur or just substitute regular coffee in the recipe if you don’t have it on hand.

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup coffee liqueur
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 3/4 cups flour

For the ganache

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

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

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add liqueur, egg, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, beating until smooth. Beat in cocoa powder and flour.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart; the cookies do spread when baking. Bake for 12 minutes, until edges are set; remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Once cookies have cooled, make the ganache: place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in short, 15-second bursts to melt the chocolate, stirring between each. Once chocolate is completely melted, spread on cookies; allow to set before storing. Makes 3 dozen.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

chocolatechipcookiedoughcupcakesWho invented the cookie dough cupcake? I have no idea…but they’re delicious. I draw the line at making frosting with flour in it, though. I know you can heat-treat it in the oven and everything, but for me, a chocolate chip buttercream – like this one, from Boston Girl Bakes – is totally fine. I adapted her cupcake recipe to not include the edible cookie dough, but I added chocolate chips to the frosting, so technically these are just a chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate chip frosting. They’re still delicious.

One thing to note – I over-baked my cupcakes by a few minutes, so if I make these again I’ll dial it back to the timing below.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the frosting

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks, 20 tablespoons) butter
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; my recipe yielded 16 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and sugar, then whisk in eggs and egg white. Stir in milk and vanilla.

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir in chocolate chips. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine completely.

Divide batter between the cupcake wells, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove cupcakes from the tins; cool completely on a wire rack.

To make frosting, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed to completely combine.  Beat in heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, then stir in chocolate chips.

Frost cupcakes using an offset spatula. Store at room temperature.

Cinnamon Roll Blondies

cinnamonrollblondiesThe flavors of a cinnamon roll with the convenience of a blondie? Yes, please. These treats were very easy to make, though I approached the cinnamon layer somewhat differently from how the original recipe, which I found on Celebrating Sweets, was written. I also tweaked the icing to include some vanilla extract and more powdered sugar because…well, I do that.

A word about the icing: I’d probably wait to ice these until right before serving, because the cream cheese icing takes a while to set up in the fridge…causing the blondies themselves to get firmer than I’d like them to be. Still, the flavor is delicious and I’ll absolutely make these again.

Ingredients

For the blondie layer

  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the cinnamon layer

  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • dash of salt

For the icing

  • 2 ounces very soft (almost melted) cream cheese
  • 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking tin with foil and spray the foil with baking spray.

Make the blondie layer: Combine melted butter and brown sugar and whisk until well combined, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla, whisking to combine. Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt with a spatula; spread in the bottom of the baking tin.

Make the cinnamon layer: Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. Stir in cinnamon and salt. Spread across the top of the blondie layer.

Bake for 21 – 24 minutes, until edges are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before icing.

To make the icing, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle or pipe across the top of the bars; refrigerate bars to set the icing before cutting and store in the fridge until serving. Makes 12.

Toffee Coffee Brownies

toffeecoffeebrowniesThe King Arthur Cookie Companion has an awesome brownie recipe that you can dress up any way you like. This combination is one of their many adaptations, a super fudgy brownie with coffee icing and toffee bits (though in this photo I feel like they look like chopped nuts).

Next time, I might use chocolate-covered toffee bits for even more flavor, because the toffee gets lost a bit against the coffee icing. They still taste amazing, though – are I cannot stress how fudgy they are. Like actual pieces of fudge, in many ways. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the brownies

  • 12 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup Dutch-process (aka Hershey’s Special Dark) cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup flour

For the icing

  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 – 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil and spray lightly with baking spray. Sprinkle the bottom with sugar; this is my tip for a slightly crunchy bottom crust that adds a nice texture to otherwise soft treats like brownies.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar and continue heating for another minute while stirring, until the mixture is just hot. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, then whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in flour, then spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake for 28-30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

To make icing, combine espresso powder and hot water in a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and stir; add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to get a drizzly consistency. Spread over brownies, then sprinkle with toffee bits. Let the icing set before cutting. Makes 24.

Canadian Butter Tart Squares

canadianbuttertartsquaresIn addition to hockey and maple syrup (among other good things, I’m sure), Canada has a treat called butter tarts. They’re like mini pecan pies, but with raisins or walnuts instead of pecans. While I’ve never had one, I found this recipe for a bar/square version at Just So Tasty and chose walnuts instead of raisins for my filling.

One observation – I might have under-baked these slightly, because the filling wasn’t as set as I expected it to be. They’re still delicious.

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 1/4 cups flour

For the filling

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper.

In a mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add flour and beat to combine; dough will be thick. Press into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until pale golden in color.

While the crust bakes, make the filling. Beat butter, brown sugar, and flour until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, then add corn syrup and vinegar and beat again. Stir in walnuts.

Once crust has baked, pour the filling over the top and bake for another 30-35 minutes, until the top is set. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting. Makes 24.

Retro Fudge Brownies

fudgebrowniesPinterest bills these treats as a vintage, 1950s recipe called “lunch lady brownies.” I guess a talented cafeteria worker whipped them up decades ago and passed the recipe down…and I’m glad she did. I found the full recipe at Spaceships and Laser Beams, which isn’t exactly the brand I’d associate with a food blog, but whatever works for you. I altered the preparation steps because I feel like the original didn’t quite make sense, so I’ve gone with a method I’ve used for other brownies before and it turned out well.

Be warned: these treats are really rich and fudgy and probably have a ton of calories. But they’re delicious, and absolutely worth it, in my opinion.

Ingredients

For the brownies

  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the frosting

  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 cups powered sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and cocoa powder together until smooth. Stir in sugar and salt, followed by eggs and vanilla, until batter is smooth. Stir in flour until no dry pockets remain.

Pour into the baking tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool brownies for about 20 minutes before frosting.

To make the frosting, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder – this will keep little bits of cocoa from clumping together in your frosting, which is something I didn’t do when I originally made this. Add melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth; you can add additional milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time, for a more spreadable consistency. Spread frosting on brownies and allow to set before cutting. Makes 24.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

lemonsugarcookiesThere are a lot of different sugar cookies out there. Frosted cut-out cookies in various shapes and designs, enormous bakery-style ones with crispy edges and soft middles that probably have 600 calories, and those weird Lofthouse ones that basically taste like…well, nothing. No offense if you’re a Lofthouse fan. I just don’t get it.

This recipe is one of my favorites – it’s adapted from the King Arthur Baking Cookie Companion Essential Chewy recipe. I added lemon zest and lemon extract to the dough because lemon is one of my favorite things ever, and they turned out really well. You could do an orange version as well – so maybe next time.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus about 1/4 cup additional for rolling
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • zest of 1 medium lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • Additional sugar for rolling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute; add sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and egg and beat until well-combined. Add flour and beat to combine.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough, roll into balls, and dip in sugar to coat completely.

Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets; they will spread some when baking. I put 6 cookies per sheet, and that worked well.

Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are barely beginning to brown and centers still look puffy. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 22.

Millionaire’s Shortbread

millionairesshortbreadSo, millionaire’s shortbread. A shortbread cookie base with a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate. Rich, right? You really have no idea just how rich until you try this recipe, which I found at Sugar Spun Run. Millionaire’s, indeed. More like billionaire’s in my opinion. Just a few bites are perfect, so cut small. And don’t skip the sprinkle of sea salt on top, either. You want a little salt with all of this sugar.

While these bars taste pretty good, I don’t think the textures are quite right – everything is very soft. I wanted a crispy shortbread base, so next time I think I’ll go with a different base layer and also scale back the chocolate to balance things out a bit more.

Ingredients

For the base

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups flour

For the caramel layer

  • 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate layer

  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • Sea salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper, extending up the sides.

Make the base: In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides of your bowl a few times. Add flour about 1/2 cup at a time, beating to just combine; when you’ve added about half of the flour, sprinkle in the salt with your mixer running. You don’t need your dough to be smooth; it can be a bit crumbly. Press into the bottom of your pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are just golden. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool while you make your caramel.

Make the caramel: This is going to take a while, friends. In a medium saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Heat over medium and stir until everything is melted; once melted, keep stirring and bring the mixture to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring constantly, until you reach 225 degrees on a candy thermometer; this took me about 25 minutes. The mixture will turn darker in color – like the color of peanut butter – and pull away from the sides as you stir it when it’s almost ready. Also, you may get brown flecks in your caramel as you stir, and this is totally fine.

Once you’ve reached 225 degrees, remove the caramel from the heat and stir in your vanilla extract. Pour the caramel over your base and spread it out in an even layer; set it aside to cool completely before adding the chocolate. You can chill it in the fridge or just leave it out at room temp (which is what I did) for a few hours.

For the chocolate layer, place chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate melts. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth, then pour it over your caramel layer and spread it out. Let the chocolate set for a few minutes, then top with sprinkles of sea salt and let cool completely before cutting. You can pop it into your fridge for a bit, which is what I did, or just let it sit at room temperature.

Cut into very small bars – mine made about 44 – and store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge if you prefer.