CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BLOSSOMS: Cookie Week!

Here's a delicious cookie to make for the holidays. You can use caramel or chocolate kisses..or both! How easy is this? Adapted from Hershey's Kitchens!

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BLOSSOMS

Ingredients 
1/2 cup Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips  (or chopped chocolate)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup additional granulated or decorator's sugar for rolling
1/2 cup dulce de leche or HERSHEY'S Caramel Topping
24 HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolates filled with Caramel  (or Hershey's Kisses)

Directions
Place chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Gradually beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Blend in melted chocolate chips. Stir together flour, cocoa and baking soda; beat into chocolate mixture, beating until thoroughly blended. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
Heat oven to 350° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Shape dough into 24 equal balls (about 1-1/4 inches each). Roll in granulated or decorator's sugar, placing on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are set and center is still slightly soft. Do not over bake. Remove cookie sheets from oven to wire rack. With end of wooden spoon make indentation in center of each cookie. Fill each cookie indentation with dulce de leche (or caramel topping). Cool 15 minutes; gently shift parchment paper with cookies to wire rack. Cool completely.
Remove wrappers from candies. Gently press candy onto each cookie. Makes 24 cookies.

RICH CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES: Cookie Day!

Today is Cookie Day, but the cookie making continues throughout this week which is National Cookie Week! Well, really, the baking continues throughout the month! Let's face it. It's Cookie Month!

If you're like me, you can never have enough cookies -- or cookie recipes. As much as I love Chocolate Chip cookies, Rich Dark Chocolate Cookies are my favorite. I love a good crisp chocolate cookie with a rich chocolate-y taste. As always that is achieved by using an excellent quality chocolate or cocoa and a perfect recipe.

I saw this recipe in the New York Times a few years ago as the cover story of The Holiday Issue, and I realized I'd made this recipe in the past. And, since the holidays are coming up, I advise you to get out your holiday cookie cutters for this cookie. Reindeer Cookie Cutters are my favorite, and I have several because my last name is Rudolph! For the red noses on chocolate cookies, use a bit of red icing. You can make it, or buy a can or mix at the store. These cookies can be decorated, but why mess with a good thing? I like my cookies unadulterated. If you do decorate these cookies, use royal icing. Of course, you can use other shaped cookie cutters, such as Santa, Stars, Christmas Trees. Get creative with your cutters!

This recipe was sent to The New York Times several years ago by Mari Pfeiffer, a reader in California; it’s from the cookbook “Great Cookies,” published in 2003 by Carole Walter. The cookies have the great flavors of cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and espresso powder.

RICH CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sifted Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup superfine sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1/2 tsp boiling water
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted in double boiler (I use 90% cacao from Guittard and cut back a bit on sugar)

Optional: Royal icing, for decorating

Directions
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl of standing mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add sugar in steady stream, continuing to beat for 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, and espresso mixture. Continue beating, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, then mix in melted chocolate.

Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in two batches, mixing just enough to combine after each addition. Divide dough in two and form into two flattened disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Roll out chilled dough between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper until it's 3/16-inch thick. Cut into shapes, using cookie cutters of different sizes to use as much dough as possible. (The dough will not be as good if it is rolled out a second time.) Transfer cookies to baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating sheets once to ensure even baking, or until cookies look set on top and have slight sheen. Remove from oven and wait 2 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool.  

Frost with royal icing, if desired.

CHOCOLATE-BERRY SANDWICH COOKIES: National Cookie Day, Cookie Month, Cookie Week!

Photo: Bonne Maman

It should come as no surprise that December is National Cookie Month. I would venture to say that more cookies are baked this month than any other. Today is National Cookie Day (and it's also Cookie Week, and I'll bet a lot of you are doing that today or have been doing that over the weekend! Well, here's a great cookie for your holiday baking: Chocolate-Berry Sandwich Cookies.

I love Bonne Maman preserves and jellies. There's nothing quite like Bonne Maman for flavor--and I love the jars. I use the jars for layering 'Brownies in a Jar' and other fun gifts, as well as presenting various 'foods' on a stick. I also used several jars last year for flavored sugars. And, on my desk, I have a few jars filled with office supplies and pencils and pens. The jar is such a great shape (see end of post), I always find a use for them. They never end up in the recycling bin because I "recycle" them 'in-house.'

But loving the jar doesn't take precedence over loving the taste of the Bonne Maman delicious preserves and jellies. They are truly fabulous. The Bonne Maman website has lots of great recipes using their products. You'll want to have a peek. One of my favorites is this recipe for Chocolate-Berry Sandwich Cookies. If you don't have time to make the cookies from scratch, just grab your favorite chocolate cookies, make the filling, and assemble. Perfect for the holidays! Very Festive.

CHOCOLATE-BERRY SANDWICH COOKIES

Ingredients

Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for shaping and rolling
2/3 cup natural cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry or Cherry Filling 
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves or Cherry Preserves 

Directions 

Make the cookies:
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale yellow and airy, about 5 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until evenly combined.
Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide into two equal pieces. Shape each mound of dough into ball, flatten into disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° and line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use rolling pin to roll one of chilled cookie dough discs into a 1/4 inch thick sheet.
Use 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut dough into circles and place them 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
Bake cookies until their edges are firm and centers are slightly soft and puffed, 8 to 10 minutes.
Use metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Cool cookies completely before filling.

Make filling: 
In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed until light and airy, about 5 minutes.
Turn off mixer, remove bowl from the mixer stand and stir in strawberry (or cherry) preserves.
Transfer filling to a piping bag fitted with small tube tip and pipe 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling on the center of half of the cookies (or use spoon to scoop the filling).
Top each filling-topped half with another cookie and press down slightly to evenly distribute the filling.
Serve immediately. 

PINWHEEL COOKIES: Vintage Recipe for National Cookie Day

Today is Cookie Day; This is Cookie Week: and December is Cookie Month! No surprise! Christmas is right around the corner.

There are many types of cookies -- Bar Cookies, Drop Cookies, Pressed Cookies, No-Bake Cookies, Molded Cookies, Rolled Cookies, Sandwich Cookies, Fried Cookies, but today I'm posting a recipe for one of my favorite type of Cookies: Refrigerator Cookies aka Icebox Cookies.

Refrigerator Cookies (icebox cookies) include a variety of cookie styles that require chilling. Very often, as in the case of the recipe below, the cookie dough is shaped into a log, so that when chilling is complete in the refrigerator, the dough is easily sliced and baked.

My most favorite Refrigerator Cookies are Pinwheel Cookies. My grandmother lived with us when I was growing up, and she was a terrific baker, so my mother didn't do a lot of baking. But my mother did make Pinwheel Cookies. I used to help her roll out the dough, and after it was cold, she put the two doughs together. We chilled the dough again, and then I got to cut them. How fun. So visual, too!

The following recipe for "Chocolate Pin Wheels" is from my copy of Baker's Famous Chocolate Recipes, 1936. I love vintage cookbooks and pamphlets. Note that cookie is spelled "cooky" in the cookbook!

RICH CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES: National Cookie Day!

Today is Cookie Day, but the cookie making continues throughout this week which is National Cookie Week! Well, really, the baking continues throughout the month! Let's face it. It's Cookie Month!

If you're like me, you can never have enough cookies -- or cookie recipes. As much as I love Chocolate Chip cookies, Rich Dark Chocolate Cookies are my favorite. I love a good crisp chocolate cookie with a rich chocolate-y taste. As always that is achieved by using an excellent quality chocolate or cocoa and a perfect recipe.

I saw this recipe in the New York Times a few years ago as the cover story of The Holiday Issue, and I realized I'd made this recipe in the past. And, since the holidays are coming up, I advise you to get out your holiday cookie cutters for this cookie. Reindeer Cookie Cutters are my favorite, and I have several because my last name is Rudolph! For the red noses on chocolate cookies, use a bit of red icing. You can make it, or buy a can or mix at the store. These cookies can be decorated, but why mess with a good thing? I like my cookies unadulterated. If you do decorate these cookies, use royal icing. Of course, you can use other shaped cookie cutters, such as Santa, Stars, Christmas Trees. Get creative with your cutters!

This recipe was sent to The New York Times several years ago by Mari Pfeiffer, a reader in California; it’s from the cookbook “Great Cookies,” published in 2003 by Carole Walter. The cookies have the great flavors of cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and espresso powder.

RICH CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sifted Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup superfine sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1/2 tsp boiling water
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted in double boiler (I use 90% cacao from Guittard and cut back a bit on sugar)

Optional: Royal icing, for decorating

Directions
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl of standing mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add sugar in steady stream, continuing to beat for 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, and espresso mixture. Continue beating, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, then mix in melted chocolate.

Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in two batches, mixing just enough to combine after each addition. Divide dough in two and form into two flattened disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Roll out chilled dough between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper until it's 3/16-inch thick. Cut into shapes, using cookie cutters of different sizes to use as much dough as possible. (The dough will not be as good if it is rolled out a second time.) Transfer cookies to baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating sheets once to ensure even baking, or until cookies look set on top and have slight sheen. Remove from oven and wait 2 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool.  

Frost with royal icing, if desired.