lifeinflux

Day 12 – Garam Masala Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

// January 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // A State of Yum

If ever a cookie demanded you take a bite with an open mind, this would be the cookie. Aarti Sequeira is the Season Six winner of The Next Food Network Star and is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I pilfer her recipes frequently on FoodNetwork.com. This past December when Food Network released their annual Best Cookie recipes, I found this one. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate, gingerbread AND garam masala but it took me a few weeks to decide if I could stomach the three together. I made the cookies, decorated them (I recommend the Royal Icing over the Chocolate Glaze), and immediately sunk my teeth into one. Yummy, yummy, yum, yum, yum! If you enjoy Indian food, you have to make these cookies. And if you’re not a fan of Indian food, you should STILL make these cookies. Besides being absolutely delicious with a touch of heat (spice heat, not hot heat), they are gorgeous cookies and perfect to give to friends for any occasion. Helpful hint: Shop Sur La Table for the fennel seed, dried rose petals and gold or silver dragees if you’re in a hurry. If you got a week or two, order them online for a LOT less. Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour, plus for dusting
2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
Chocolate Glaze, recipe follows
Royal Icing, recipe follows
Toasted fennel seed, dried rose petals and gold or silver dragees, for garnish

Directions
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and garam masala in a large bowl. Set aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium-high speed until the butter is smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and ginger; continue to beat over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Add the molasses and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour in 2 batches and mix on low until combined and forms a sticky dough. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and pat into 2 (1/2-inch thick) rectangles. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the bottom and top half of the oven. Line 3 to 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.

Roll each portion of the dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle (Important Note: If the dough becomes soft, chill for a bit in the refrigerator). Cut the dough with 3-inch cookie cutters, lay on the prepared baking sheets about 1-inch apart, and chill for 10 minutes. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Decorate, as desired, with Chocolate Glaze or Royal Icing. Garnish with toasted fennel seeds, dried rose petals, or silver dragees.

Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons corn syrup
3 tablespoons water

Combine all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cook until the chocolate melts, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir to smooth out and combine.

Royal Icing
1 and 1/2 tablespoons egg white powder
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons water

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer over medium-high speed until it forms thick and glossy peaks, about 6 minutes.

Be sure to use this Royal Icing recipe for this particular cookie and not the Royal Icing recipe (thinned) featured elsewhere on Lifeinflux.  This Royal Icing needs to be STIFF in order to properly decorate the cookie.

Day 11 – Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

Day 11 – Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

// January 10th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // A State of Yum

With a last name like Gloege, you’d think Drue would love all things ginger (with a heavy splash of butter and molasses to boot). However, it’s taken Drue a few years to fully embrace gingerbread and for a long time she’d pick simpler, lighter cookies over the dense, earthy complexity of gingerbread. We started slowly with her after a few years of rejecting my delightful gingerbread men, moving into soft gingerbread cakes and then on to denser ginger and molasses bread. Two years ago, I decided to find a soft gingerbread cookie with a hint of chocolate to see if I could appeal to her obsessive love for all things chocolate, while still maintaining the proper gingerbread flavor and density. After a few trials (and many errors), we finally found the right balance of chocolate, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses to appeal to everyone! This is a year round cookie for us but we make them for everyone over the holidays. And, most importantly, the provide Jays and I with the ginger kick we love (use freshly grated ginger!!) and are still a cookie Drue enjoys a lot!   Ah… compromise!   While they don’t have the visual appeal of my gingerbread men of old, they are simple to make, delicious and everyone seems to enjoy them. I hope you do, too!

Ingredients
7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
1 and 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. Beat butter and grated ginger until whitened using a hand electric mixer and a paddle attachment, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Roll dough into 2-inch balls; place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar and return to baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield about 2 dozens.

Day 10 – French Christmas Cookies

Day 8 – Lime Zingers

// January 4th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

To say we love citrus in this house is putting it mildly. Drue was popping lemon wedges in her mouth and eating the flesh off the rind before she turned a year old. So when I found the recipe for lime zingers, we decided to include it in the pool of cookies to bake year-round. The reality of my busy schedule is that I really only bake cookies around the holidays. So lime zingers have become part of our holiday tradition. If you like the taste of lime, you should include these lovely cookies as part of your holiday baking tradition as well! Hope you love them as much as we do!!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Beat in sugar until combined. Beat in lime peel, the 1/4 cup lime juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Using 1 or 2-inch cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. Or you can take the lazy approach and simply scoop up the finished dough by the tablespoon, roll them into balls and place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown around edges. Immediately transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

Lime Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice and vanilla. with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Tint frosting as desired with food coloring. Spread over cooled cookies.

Day 7 – Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs                                                   Day 9 – Peanut Cookies

Day 6 – Eggnog Cookies

// December 31st, 2010 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

Eggnog is one of my most favorite drinks on the planet. We get it in pint glass jars from our favorite local dairy, Straus Organic Family Creamery. If you’ve seen those California happy cow commercials, those cows live at Straus because this is bar-none the best milk, ice cream, yogurt and eggnog I’ve ever consumed (of ALL time). And Straus’ eggnog is the featured ingredient in one of my favorite cookies and the origins of this Christmas drink is greatly debated. Many believe that eggnog is a tradition brought to America from Europe. This is partially true. One version of the story has eggnog related to various egg, milk and wine punches that were found on European dinner tables during the holiday season. However, in America a new twist was put on the theme. Rum was used in the place of wine. In Colonial America, rum was commonly called “grog”, so the name eggnog is likely derived from the very descriptive term for this drink, “egg-and-grog”, which corrupted to egg’n'grog and soon to eggnog. At least this is one version of the story. Some people believe that the “nog” of eggnog comes from the word “noggin”. A noggin was a small, wooden, carved mug. It was used to serve drinks at table in taverns (while drinks beside the fire were served in tankards). It is thought that eggnog started out as a mixture of Spanish “Sherry” and milk. The English called this concoction “dry sack posset”. It is very easy to see how an egg drink in a noggin could become eggnog. Either way, with it’s European roots and the availability of the ingredients, eggnog soon became a popular wintertime drink throughout Colonial America. Who doesn’t like a spicy, rich, alcoholic drink to warm themselves on a cold, holiday winter night?

The eggnog we get from Straus is, admittedly, non-alcoholic but is the perfect addition to traditional pound cake and sugar cookie recipes. With a splash of nutmeg, it really does make the perfect holiday cookie.

Ingredients
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup SALTED butter, room temp
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg
Chopped pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Add a handful of chopped pecans (more to taste) if you enjoy pecans and mix into the batter. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1″ apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula. While the cookies are cooling make your eggnog whipped topping.

Eggnog Whipped Topping

Ingredients
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup eggnog (to taste)
nutmeg to taste

Directions
Pour your whipping cream into a chilled metal bowl. Using a hand mixer on high speed, mix the whipping cream until soft peaks start forming. Once the peaks move from soft to medium peaks, gently and slowly add your eggnog (to taste), making sure that your whipped peaks do not collapse. Mix the eggnog into the whipped cream until the peaks are stiff. Immediately transfer the whipped mixture into pastry bags and pipe onto the cooled eggnog cookies. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve immediately. Lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and move to the counter to warm up to just under room temperature 30-45 minutes before serving. See picture above for example!!

Yum yum yum!!
Day 5 – Snowberry Cookies                                                                 Day 7 – Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs

Day 2 – Paradise Macaroons

// December 28th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

Yes, yes, yesterday I was supposed to post day 2 of the 12 Days of Cookies, thereby providing you with this lovely recipe for Paradise Macaroons. But in my defense, I slept all day yesterday, which I suppose is not much of a defense at all. That said, and without further ado, I give you my recipe for Paradise Macaroons shamelessly stolen from Alton Brown (so you know it has to be good)!! Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 (7 to 8-ounce) packages sweetened shredded coconut
2 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg whites at room temperature
5 ounces granulated sugar
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 ounce vegetable shortening
2 ounces finely chopped dry-roasted macadamia nuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut with the sweetened condensed milk, salt and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip the whites until medium peaks form, 6 to 7 minutes.

Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately transfer the parchment with the macaroons to a cooling rack. Cool completely before topping.

Fill a 4-quart pot with enough water to come 2 inches up the side, set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Combine the chocolate chips and shortening in a small metal or glass mixing bowl and set over the simmering pot. Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from the heat.

Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate mixture, sprinkle with the chopped macadamia nuts and place on parchment paper to set, about 30 minutes.

You should get approximately 3 to 4 dozen cookies out of this one batch. And the extra step of dipping the cookies into chocolate and adding the macadamia nuts are well worth it. These cookies have replaced the Magic Bars we’ve made for years at Christmas time. Not that we have anything against Magic Bars but these macaroons are more elegant and are just so darn yummy! Let me know what you think of them!

Day 1 – Candy Cane Meringue Cookies       Day 3 – Mexican Wedding Cookies and Snowballs

Day 1 – Candy Cane Meringue Cookies

// December 26th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // A State of Yum

Today, on the 1st day of Christmas (okay 2nd, but the 1st day of the 12 days of Cookies), let’s take advantage of the post-Xmas downtime time and make some delicious cookies! The trick to this cookie is making sure you spend the time beating the egg white mixture into stiff peaks and setting aside three hours of oven time!

Ingredients
3 egg whites
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
a pinch of cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp peppermint extract (or 2 if you’re like me and really love peppermint)
2 drops of red food coloring

Directions
Beat 3 egg whites until frothy. Beat in 3/4 cup superfine sugar and a pinch each of cream of tartar and salt until stiff peaks form. Add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and swirl in 2 drops red food coloring. Drop by tablespoonfuls and bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Turn off the oven and keep meringues inside for 2 hours to dry.

I know, what a PITA right? But trust me, even if you only like meringue a little bit (and like peppermint a LOT), you’ll love these cookies! The number of cookies you can make depends on the size of your “tablespoonfuls”.

Enjoy!

Day 2 – Paradise Macaroons

12 days of Cookies

// December 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // A State of Yum

Each holiday season I bake a plethora of pure yum, choosing from over 300 recipes and posting the occasional recipe upon request. This year, I thought I’d do something different.

As I bake many of our family’s favorites and add a few new cookies to the mix over the next twelve days, I will post the recipe, any hints or substitutions I make (because following the recipe is so boring), and pictures of the finished product right here in the Food section of lifeinflux. If you’re looking for a cookie recipe mentioned in blogs past, let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to feature some of the oldies but goodies that show up year to year in our family tins and gift baskets!

Day 1 – Candy Cane Meringue
Day 2 – Paradise Macaroons
Days 3 and 4 – Mexican Wedding Cookies and Snowballs
Day 5 – Snowberry Cookies
Day 6 – Eggnog Cookies
Day 7 – Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs
Day 8 – Lime Zingers
Day 9 – Peanut Cookies
Day 10 – French Butter Cookies
Day 11 – Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread
Day 12 – Garam Masala Chocolate Gingerbread