Goodies By Anna

Cranberry 5 Spice Cocktail Cookies

If you are looking for a cookie that is a little off the beaten path you've come to the right cookie! The Cranberry Five Spice Cookie is a concoction by the famed baker/author Dorie Greenspan for her new "cookies for grownups" store called CookieBar in New York. Dorie came up with a selection of cookies called "The Cocktail Collection". These cookies are meant to be enjoyed with champagne, wine or cocktails. Perfect for entertaining, they are tiny, simple and have a sweet-savory flavor that appeals to the adult palate.

Dorie offers four flavors in her Cocktail Collection and today I have baked the Cranberry 5 Spice Cocktail Cookie. This tiny cookie (2 inches") is a flavor packed shortbread-style dough infused with the tart taste of cranberries and the exotic warmth of Chinese Five Spice Powder. Chinese Five Spice Powder is usually associated with savory Asian style cooking and is a rich combination of star anise, anise seed, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. These flavors pair wonderfully with the tart fresh cranberry to create a unique cookie flavor palate. Dorie suggests serving these cookies with a white wine like a Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer. These cookies are equally as tasty with a nice cup of tea. If you are ready for something completely different here is how you can make your own.

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by roughly chopping 1/2 cup of frozen cranberries. Toss the chopped cranberries with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

 

In  a small bowl whisk together the flour, Chinese 5-Spice Powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until smooth and combined. Add the egg and beat for another minute until somewhat combined. Mixture may look curdled but that's alright, it will come together with the addition of the flour mixture.

Add the flour  mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the cranberries and divide the dough into two equal pieces. Place one ball of dough in between two sheets of parchment and roll out to 1/4" thickness. Repeat with second dough ball and place rolled dough into freezer for around 30 minutes to an hour.

When rolled dough is frozen stiff, cut rounds with a 1 1/2" to 2" cookie cutter (I used a 2" cookie cutter). Keep cutting out rounds and re-roll the scraps repeating the same freezing process. Place the frozen cut rounds of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Rounds can be placed closely together as they do not spread much. I topped my cookies off with a sprinkle of coarse vanilla sanding sugar for a little extra sweetness, sparkle and crunch. Bake cookies for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely before serving.

 

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes

If you've ever had the opportunity to eat at fabulous Bistro Don Giovanni restaurant in the Napa Valley then you might have enjoyed their delicious Meyer Lemon Souffle Cake. The dessert is part cake and part pudding with a luscious Meyer lemon flavor that is smooth and light and refreshing. Each cake is an individual portion adorned with fresh berries.

Here is photo of our own Meyer Lemon tree.

This recipe is a close dupe of the same dessert that you can easily make at home! I dressed it up with some pureed homemade strawberry jam and a few frozen berries dusted with powdered sugar. The best part of this dessert is that you can easily make it in advance. Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the basic recipe for the cake here. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 individual ramekins and set aside. You will also need a roasting pan big enough to fit all 6 of the ramekins. Set roasting pan aside.

 

In a blender, blend together the buttermilk, 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, flour, melted butter and salt until smooth. I like to then strain the blended buttermilk mixture into a bowl to make sure there are no small lumps left and that it's completely smooth. Set bowl aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form (I added a pinch of cream of tarter for more stability). Gradually add the 1/2 cup remaining sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff. Gently fold the buttermilk mixture into the whites in 3 additions. Batter will be runny.

Carefully pour the batter equally into each of the 6 ramekins, filling approximately 3/4 full. Place each ramekin into the roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Place in oven and bake until the tops of the cakes are a nice deep brown. The tops should spring back when done, around 45 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the roasting pan (I used rubber gloves to get a good grip on the wet ramekins) and let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap and placing into the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours (I let mine chill overnight).

While cakes are chilling you can make a puree to serve with the cakes. In a blender I pureed some homemade strawberry jam until smooth. Keep puree in fridge until ready to use.

When the cakes are chilled, carefully run an offset spatula around the edges of the cake to loosen from the ramekin. Place a small serving plate over the top of ramekin and invert, tapping lightly on the counter to release. When the cake is on the plate, spoon the strawberry puree around the base of the cake. Top with berries and dust with powdered sugar when ready to serve.

 

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars

After the cookie/carmel combo success with the Coconut Thumbprint Cookies I decided to try these delicious Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars. These bars are reminiscent of a Twix candy bar with a buttery cookie base covered in a decadent chocolate caramel topped with a light dusting of sea salt. These homemade candy bars are a terrific treat and make great gifts!

The homemade caramel is mixed with creamy milk chocolate and poured over the buttery, crunchy cookie crust. After the caramel sets up it gets a light dusting of Maldon Sea Salt and is then cut into long bars just like your favorite candy bar! Crunchy, buttery, caramel and chocolatey: can't miss goodness. Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the entire recipe here. I followed this recipe with a few changes: I added 1/4 cup corn syrup to the caramel to keep it from crystalizing. You certainly don't have to add the corn syrup I have just found that it really helps create a smooth, grit-free caramel. I also cooked my caramel mixture longer than the instructions called for. I cooked the initial carmel until it registered 248 on a digital thermometer and after I added the butter and cream I brought the temperature back up to around 235 degrees to ensure that the chocolate-caramel topping was firm enough to cut but not chewy like a regular caramel candy. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" x 9"  baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil. Make sure to leave an overhang on two sides for easy removal. I used aluminum foil and sprayed with Pam. Set pan aside.

Crust: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. I added a 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract to the dough for extra flavor. Add the flour and table salt and beat until just combined. Dough will be crumbly. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. I used a spatula to press the dough down into the corners evenly.

Bake the crust for 30 minutes until lightly browned. Set baked crust aside.

Chocolate Carmel: Place chocolate in medium bowl and set aside. Heat sugar, water (and 1/4 cup corn syrup if using) over medium high heat until golden color. I cooked my caramel to 248 degrees on a digital thermometer. Carefully add butter, cream and salt and stir into sugar mixture until smooth. Keep cooking until the mixture reaches a boil. I continued to cook my caramel to 235 degrees on a digital thermometer. Pour hot caramel over the chocolate. Let sit for two minutes then stir until smooth and well combined.

Let mixture cool for 10 minutes.

Pour cooled chocolate caramel over the cookie crust and smooth evenly. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight (I chilled mine overnight). Remove parchment or aluminum foil from candy and sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt.

Cut into squares or bars with a sharp knife that has been run under hot water. Clean knife repeatedly for each cut. These bars are cut into 1" strips then we cut the entire pan in half so the bars are pretty big! Store bars in airtight container.

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel

While flipping thru the February issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine I came across these delicious looking cookies: Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel. I had coconut leftover from the Coconut Rum Doughnuts that I wanted to use up and this was the perfect goodie! The base of these cookies is a traditional shortbread and bakes up buttery and sweet. When rolled in the flaked coconut a whole other flavor and texture component gets added. The coconut gets browned and crisp with a sweet nutty flavor that goes well with the buttery cookie. Top it off with a generous dollop of caramel and a sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt and you have a delectable cookie that will leave you wanting more. Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the entire recipe in the Martha Stewart Living Magazine February 2012 Issue or here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour and salt and mix until a dough comes together. Using a Tablespoon or a #50 cookie dough scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls. I used the #50 scoop and got 43 cookies. After rolling all the dough into balls, dip each ball into beaten eggs and roll in flaked coconut to cover. Repeat with all dough balls and set aside.

Using your thumb or a melon ball scoop (I used a melon-ball scoop), press a shallow indent into each coconut covered dough ball. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gently re-press the indentations a little deeper. Return to oven and continue cooking for another 9-10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

Remove cookies from oven and carefully re-press the indentations again. I find that this last press on the hot cookie will allow you to get a nice rounded, deep indentation that will hold a generous amount of caramel. Let the cookies cool completely before filling with caramel.

 

Make Caramel Filling: In a small saucepan melt together the caramels and cream. (I didn't want to break open a carton of cream for 6 Tablespoons so I used 6 Tablespoons of whole milk instead - Worked fine.)

When the caramel is smooth and melted carefully spoon into the indentations of the cookies. I was able to get 1 teaspoon of caramel into each cookie indentation. Let the caramel cool for a few minutes then lightly sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt.

Conversation Heart Cookies

Little candy conversation hearts in the box are such a traditional Valentines Day Treat I decided to make them into cookies! I received these fun Message-in-a-Cookie Cutters  as a gift and found a cute recipe online for some colorful Conversation Heart Cookies.

 

I divided a batch of sugar cookie dough into three equal balls and colored each hot pink, vibrant yellow, and chartreuse green. The special cookie cutters are what give the cookies that "conversation heart" look with the letters pressed into the dough. The message stays on the cookie after baking! Here is how you can make your own.

If you are using the Message-in-a-Cookie Cutters decide on what sayings you want for your cookies and gather all the letters together for each message and set aside. Mix up a batch of your favorite cookie dough. Or you can do like I did and use this recipe and instructions for a puffier more cake-like cookie. I like the puffier cookie because they look more like the conversation heart candies. Divide the dough into three equal pieces.

Place one ball of dough back into the mixer and add the food coloring. Continue mixing and adding coloring until you get the shade you desire. Repeat with remaining dough balls. After all the dough is colored, wrap each round of dough in plastic wrap and chill overnight or at least for a few hours. When the dough is well chilled, roll out to no thinner than 1/4" thick and place the rolled dough in the freezer for 1 hour. While dough is chilling in freezer, put the letters for your first message into the cookie cutter and set aside. I found the easiest way to get the letters into the cookie cutter was to push the plunger down on a towel laid on out the countertop, much easier that trying to hold the plunger down with your hand, and insert the letters!

When the dough has chilled in the freezer for 1 hour, removed and cut out with a cookie cutter that has been generously dipped in flour. Carefully press down and release cut cookie. Repeat with remaining dough, making sure to flour the cookie cutter for each cut. Place all cut out cookies into freezer. Change message in cookie cutter as needed, flour the cutter, and cut out next color of dough. Place all cut dough into freezer. Repeat until all dough has been cut. Preheat oven to required temperature for recipe.

When oven is heated, remove cookies from freezer and place on parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. Brush any loose flour from cookies and bake at required time for recipe. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack before packaging.