Tag Archives: cookies

Double Dark Chocolate Guinness Cookies! A late St. Patrick’s Day offering

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St. Patrick’s Day is always fun and is a really easy holiday to bake for: a generous dash of Irish Cream, a splash of Guinness, a finger of Jameson’s and you should be set. Unfortunately this St. Patrick’s Day I ruined that batch of fudge and failed to make successful repair cookies. To combat this failure I had a delicious pint of Jameson-infused beer and went about my day. Not that I was dwelling on the loss of that fudge or anything (maybe a little) but I still wanted to make an awesome treat with an Irish kick. Looking back at my first post, the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes, and remembering that I had told my trivia team that I would bring cookies, I thought, “I bet I could make Guinness chocolate cookies!” And off I went to bake my heart away.

GuinnessCookies

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Almond Butter Cookies

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The weather in Vancouver has been really wonderful. We had two gorgeous days on sunshine throughout the week and then yesterday started crummy with a straight 5-6 hours of rain but wrapped up on a blue-skied, sunny note. Today is another sunny one, so I am going to have to wander outside for some vitamin D and fresh air. I love being able to wander outside in the middle of February in just a sweater. No boots, hat, mitts, or scarf needed! I certainly don’t miss the snow and will be sad to leave Vancouver if ever needed. The snow that comes with practically every other city in Canada is not something I embraced. I’ve paid my snow dues, 18 years in the Yukon and 6 in Calgary! I deserve a little West Coast weather pampering, and have made sure to take full advantage.

All that said, I am looking at some Toronto positions that would be worth the move back into the big white. If they come around to be the real thing, I am going to have to mentally prepare for a winter unlike any I’ve experienced with snow AND humidity.

Anyway, I felt the other day like I needed to make something. I kind of neglected Not Crocker last week as I picked up a couple temp assignments that required me to bus it out to Richmond. By the time I got home I kind of flopped on  the couch in a trance-like daze and Gen kindly made up some dinner for me. I did attempt a pork and rapini dish yesterday to very little success as the rapini over-powered the pork. I choked a bowl down and thankfully Gen finished up the rest. We all have our cooking failures!

Almondbuttercookies

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Cookie Swap Official Recipe! Hot Chocolate Sandwiches filled with Pink Peppercorn & Cardamom Marshmallows

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HotChocolateCookies

I wanted to do something fancy for my contribution to the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I mean really, it’s hosted by the wonderful Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen. The blogs that participate are all filled with beautiful food, designs, and ideas. I have been craving hot chocolate lately and have begun to master the art of marshmallows, so it seemed like a cookie combo made in heaven. Also, I love cardamom and happen to have a bunch of different peppers on hand, so there we go!

Not to wax on about the cookies or the event, or any of that jazz… but I am SOOOOOooooo excited to be part of this. I know that part of building a great blog and following is networking with the community but I’ve been so busy the last 8 months that I haven’t really had a chance to develop those relationships. This is my first step of getting in there with the big, fancy blogs and wave my little Not Crocker flag, saying “Hello, I like to cook and bake too!” I hope that Bailey of Sugar Haven, Aimee of Aimee’s Oven, and Heather of New House New Home New Life liked them! I learned a lot, particularly that I was one sandwich short, so I baked up three icebox cookies to create the one ugly, franken-cookie in each batch… there has to be one… right? Merry Christmas Cookie Swap!

Something that I’d love to know, what is YOUR favourite Christmas treat? 

Quick note before baking, you will have to make the marshmallow in two batches so that it doesn’t totally firm up before you fill all the cookies.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 3 oz dark chocolate, melted
  • 2 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
  2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have a sandy texture with few lumps.
  3. Whisk together the melted chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla until a sort of ganache forms. Drizzle the ganache into the dough and mix well to combine.
  4. Divide the dough in half. Knead the first half on a cutting board until it stick well together. Roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap in wax paper. Do the same with the other log. Freeze the logs for 1 hour until very firm.
  5. Heat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick slices, keeping consistant. Place 1-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through.
  7. Cool the cookies on racks, they will crisp up as they cool down. You can definitely eat them all now, they are pretty tasty, but definitely hold off, make marshmallows, and make sandwiches!

Pink Peppercorn and Cardamom Marshmallows (make two batches to fill cookies)

Adapted from Pots and Pins recipe.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 envelope of Knox unflavoured gelatin
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, ground
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

  1. In your large mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water, set aside.
  2. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  3. Bring mixture to a boil, allow to boil gently for 1 minute.
  4. Remove the syrup mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla, ground peppercorns, and cardamom.
  5. Briefly whisk the gelatin mixture on high speed. Gradually pour hot sugar syrup into the gelatin, beating on low.
  6. Once all of the syrup has been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and shiny, 8-10 minutes.
  7. Move quickly and dollop 1 tablespoon of filling onto one cookie and top with another, pressing down enough to move the marshmallow to the edges. The marshmallow sets quickly, so don’t slow down. If it starts to set as you are filling, it will still work, it just wont look perfect.
  8. If you have extra marshmallow, pour it into a flat dish and cut up later for hot chocolates and coffees and snacking.

Massive Step-by-step

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
  2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have a sandy texture with few lumps.
  3. Whisk together the melted chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla until a sort of ganache forms. Drizzle the ganache into the dough and mix well to combine.
  4. Divide the dough in half. Knead the first half on a cutting board until it stick well together. Roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap in wax paper. Do the same with the other log. Freeze the logs for 1 hour until very firm.
  5. Heat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick slices, keeping consistant. Place 1-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through.
  7. Cool the cookies on racks, they will crisp up as they cool down. You can definitely eat them all now, they are pretty tasty, but definitely hold off, make marshmallows, and make sandwiches!

    Stacks of cooled cookies.

  8. In your large mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water, set aside.
  9. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  10. Bring mixture to a boil, allow to boil gently for 1 minute.
  11. Remove the syrup mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla, ground peppercorns, and cardamom.

    Well that doesn’t look like marshmallow!

  12. Briefly whisk the gelatin mixture on high speed. Gradually pour hot sugar syrup into the gelatin, beating on low.
  13. Once all of the syrup has been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and shiny, 8-10 minutes.

    Oh, there it is!

  14. Move quickly and dollop 1 tablespoon of filling onto one cookie and top with another, pressing down enough to move the marshmallow to the edges. The marshmallow sets quickly, so don’t slow down. If it starts to set as you are filling, it will still work, it just wont look perfect.

Probably one of my best photos. Huzz-freakin-ah!

Again, check out the great blogs I got to connect with through this awesome cookie swap! They deserve lots of love:

Sent to:
Sugar Haven
Aimee’s Oven
New House New Home New Life

Received from:
Oven Adventures (sent amazing cinnamon chip cookies that smell like coziness)

I ♥ Fresh Food (sent vanilla chai short bread, delicious for dunking)

The Bacon Eating Jewish Vegetarian (it’s a mouthful, so are her delicious Cinnadoodles!)

Almond Praline Cookies

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These buttery, crispy cookies are an incredible treat. The cookies have almonds in them and a praline-like topping, I drizzled half with dark chocolate because… why not! I’ve meant to make cookies for a week now but have just been too busy to get to it. I modified my frangipane recipe to make the topping, and it turned out perfectly. I’ve also decided that these would make wonderful Christmas cookies as they are lovely to look at, rich and buttery, and can take some dark chocolate like a champ. Sadly, I can’t use them for my Food Blogger Cookie Exchange cookies, as I am posting them too early! Hmm, now I have to think of a new recipe for the exchange!

Almond Praline Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped (I threw whole almonds into my food processor and pulsed to the desired texture)

Praline:

  • 1/3 cup whole almonds
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 egg white

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.
  3. Stir in the flour and salt., mixing well to combine. It will come together in a sort of crumb-like fashion (see picture below). Chill the dough while you bring together the praline topping.
  4. Praline topping: In a food processor, pulse together the praline ingredients until you have a chunky paste. Don’t over pulse, otherwise you will almost have frangipane!
  5. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
  6. Using a flat-bottomed glass, lightly press down the cookies to flatten slightly. Top with 1/4-1/2 tsp of the praline mixture.
  7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. They will not crisp up until cooled. So let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before trying to move them to a wire rack to cool.
  8. If you want to drizzle with chocolate, simply melt 2oz of dark chocolate with 1 tsp of butter and drizzle over top once the cookies have cooled.

Crumb-like texture of the dough.

Dollop of praline mixture.

So delicious.

Icebox Cookies. Or, how to use your egg yolks after making meringues

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These are made with a rich dough that can be rolled in or topped with whatever you like. I just baked up a small batch plain so I could easily dip them in some hot chocolate and coffee. They are a beautiful cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread… more on the sugar cookie side of things. This is a great way to use up excess egg yolks after making meringues, or chocolate mousse. But, if you want to make these first, at least you also know what to do with your whites! I like icebox cookies because they are essentially cookies anytime, whip up a recipe throw the cookie log in the freezer, slice and bake and you’ve got fresh cookies in 15 minutes. If you think ahead… I didn’t… you can roll them in coconut, chocolate, nuts, etc. and have fancier versions ready for when guests surprize you!

Icebox Cookies

This recipe makes about 2 large logs of dough… I am not a log-forming master, so you can probably make many more small logs.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • tasty flavour additions: 1/2 tsp cardamon or 1 tbsp orange zest or swap 1/4 tsp of vanilla for a flavoured extract like almond or roll the log immediately after forming it, in chocolate shavings, crushed walnuts, shredded coconut, or sprinkles.

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy.
  2. Add yolks and beat well, scraping down the sides. Add vanilla.
  3. Add flour (and flavours if wanted) and mix until just combined.
  4. Separate in two and roll into logs. Roll the logs in desired toppings. Wrap the logs in plastic and freeze for at least two hours, but feel free to leave them longer, until you want them! Slice off one, or two, or twenty cookies and bake!
  5. Heat oven to 350°F. Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper.
  6. Unwrap log, and place on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice off 1/4 inch cookies.
  7. Arrange cookies on your baking sheet, 1 inch apart and bake until pale golden, 13 to 15 minutes.
  8. Serve with coffee, milk, hot chocolate, or just a smile.

Poorly shaped, expertly sliced cookies.

Delicious

From the cover photo, because its such a lovely shot.