Poppy Seed Buckwheat Wafers

The texture of this cookie is sandy, almost like a sable or shortbread. The flavor is nutty and earthy from the buckwheat flour but at the same time it is rich and buttery. Once the cookies are shaped, they are rolled in sugar and poppy seed and then sliced. I usually slice and bake only as many cookies as we will eat that day and then leave the rest of the dough in the fridge so that we can have fresh cookies the following day. They are the perfect cookies to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.



Poppy Seed Buckwheat Wafers
Recipe from Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce

Wet Mix:

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 egg yolks (reserve whites)

Dry Mix:

1½ cups buckwheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Finish:

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Egg whites from egg yolks above

Measure the cream and egg yolks into a small bowl—no need to whisk—and set aside.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter. Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients. With your hands, squeeze the butter into the flour. After the butter is mostly blended in, add the cream and egg yolks. Continue squeezing the mixture until a crumbly dough forms. Scrape the dough onto a well-floured surface and, using the palm of your hand, smear the dough to fully incorporate all the ingredients.
Divide the dough in half. Roll each piece of dough into a log that is 8 inches long and 1¾  inches wide, flouring the dough and work surface as needed. Chill the logs for 2 hours. If the dough is more lopsided than round, you can gently roll the dough again after 15 minutes or so.
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and poppy seeds and pour onto a plate. Brush one log very lightly with the egg whites. (I find it easiest to stand the log on one end as I brush it.) Roll the log in the poppy seed mixture until it is covered. Repeat this process with the remaining log and chill while the oven is heating up, or wrapped in plastic for up to 5 days.
Place two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Slice the logs into ?–inch wafers. Arrange the wafers on the baking sheets.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The wafers should be dark golden-brown, with a darker ring around the edge, and smell quite nutty. Cool the cookies on a rack and repeat with the remaining wafers.
These wafers are best eaten the day that they’re made, but they’ll keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

The perfekt dunking Hazelnut Biscuit

One of my favorite cookies of all times right after this one is this Hazelnut Cookie. It is a crispy and crunchy cookie filled with whole hazelnuts as well as hazelnut pieces. It is perfect for dunking into your coffee or milk! Even though I have a hazelnut allergy, I can't resist these cookies. The dough is very crumbly and for this reason I like to put  it on foil and press it carefully into a log. Then I put it in the fridge for 30 minutes and after that I cut the dough into slices. If the cookies break apart while you form them just press them back together.


The perfect dunking Hazelnut Cookie
(from britishlarder)

Ingredients

• 125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 300 g light brown sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1tsp of vanilla essence or the seeds of one vanilla pod
• 350 g plain flour
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200 g hazelnuts, lightly crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper or use non-stick baking trays.


2. Place the soft butter and sugar in a the bowl of a mixer and cream until light and fluffy with the paddle attachment. If you are using vanilla seeds cream them with the sugar and butter.


3. Add the egg and whip until creamy, if you are using vanilla essence add it with the egg to the butter mixture.


4. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda over the creamed butter mixture and add the lightly crushed hazelnuts, mix in gently, do not over work the biscuit dough.


5. Make even size balls, I use a teaspoon as a guide for the size.


6. Space the biscuits on the prepared baking trays leaving at least 5 cm gaps, this allows the cookies to expand and bake evenly (in the winter I press the balls down slightly as the dough will be cold and stiff this will encourage them to spread evenly), bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store the biscuits in a air tight container for up to one week. 
(makes about 50)

Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers!

I had a lot of fun yesterday, baking and decorating these lovely cookies. They do not only look good but also tasted great!

 Sugar Cookies

(adapted from bakeat350)

• Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies
• 3 cup / 400 g unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup / 185 g sugar
• 2 sticks / 230 g salted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

C    

     Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment approx. 2-3 minutes or until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and cold butter. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. Wrap in plastic foil and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes

     Roll onto floured surface and cut into shapes (I roll the dough between plastic wrap or waxed paper). Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350 F / 180 C. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

     Decorate with powdered sugar or icing. Find very good instructions on decorations here.

      

Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés

Pierre Hermé is a french Pastry Chef who is famous for his macaroons. He often makes use of savory ingredients in his desserts: traces of balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, or olives in his cakes and layered dessert cremes. He was the youngest person ever to be named France's Pastry Chef of the Year.
When I read his recipes for olive sables it intrigued me that he used Black Olives and Olive Oil in his recipe. When you bite in this cookie, the first taste you will get will be sweet but then comes the salty olives followed by the base flavor of olive oil. The texture of this cookie is crisp with an light crumbly snap. They are perfect with a glass of wine or champaign or with a cocktail.

Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés

makes 60

The dough should chill for at least several hours, better overnight and you should use an oil-cured, meaty and chewy olive, canned black olives won't work in this recipe. 

1 large hard-boiled egg, white discarded

2 1/4 cups (300 g) all purpose flour

6 Tbsp (45 g) Potato Starch (I used corn starch)

15 Tbsp unsalted butter ( 1 stick + 7 Tbsp) (215 g), at room temperature

1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil (a fruity olive oil is best)

1 cup ( 100 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 1/2 oz (about 1/2 cup/ 70g) pitted black olives, preferably oil-cured, chopped

1 teasp / 5 g fleur de sel (optional) ( I used a good pinch)

Grate the hard-boiled yolk onto a piece of wax-paper. Put the flour and potato starch in a strainer set over a large bowl and sift into the bowl, whisk to thoroughly blend.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it's soft and creamy. Beat in the olive oil, followed by the grated yolk. Blend in the confectioners' sugar, reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough just comes together, then stir in the chopped olives. You'll have a very soft, very pliable dough. 

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide it into thirds, and shape each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches (3,5 cm) in diameter. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least several hours. If you're in a hurry, you can freeze the logs for an hour or so.

When you're ready to bake the sables, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F/ 160 C. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Working with 1 log at a time, slice the cookies 1/4 inch (0,5 cm) thick and arrange them on the baking sheet. (When they break, just press them slightly together with your fingers) - you want to bake these one sheet at a time.

Bake the sables for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the midway mark, or until the cookies are firm but not colored. They may turn golden around the edges, but you don't want them to brown. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool, and repeat with the remaining logs of dough, making sure to use a cook baking sheet each time.

Storing

The logs can be frozen for up to 2 months, there's no need to defrost before slicing and baking.

Amarettini Cookies

Amaretti, the Italian name for macaroons, means "little bitter things". They consist of sugar, ground almonds, and egg whites and they can be flavored with chocolate or liqueur. I made mine to accompany Pots de Creme, but they are also great with ice cream, liqueur, or simply a good cup of coffee.
They are light, crunchy, and very sweet. Although, this recipe turned out not to be too sweet. They were just right.

Amarettinis
makes approx. 30 




3,38 oz / 100 ml Amaretto
1 teasp vanilla extract
3,5 oz / 100 g ground almond meal
30 whole almonds
3,5 oz / 100 g sugar
3,5 oz / 100 g powdered sugar
pinch of salt
6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 300 F (150C) Bake / 270 F (130C) Convection. Line two to three baking trays with parchment paper.

Mix the Amaretto with the vanilla extract. Sift the powdered sugar over the almond meal and mix.

Beat the egg whites on a high with a hand mixer. While constantly beating slowly add sugar to the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.  Add the Amaretto mixure to the egg whites and blend shortly.
With a wooden spoon add the almond meal mixture to the egg mixture and carefully fold into the egg whites. Be careful not to liquidize the mixture.

With a spoon put drops of the mixture on the prepared baking trays. Garnish each cookie with an almond and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
Slide the cookies with the baking paper on a cooling rack and let cool.
Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Chocolate Biscotti

I can't resist Biscottis and don't feel too guilty when I have one or two (or three) of those crunchy little things with my coffee. Better than a big piece of cake, right? Only recently I discovered how easy it is to bake them yourself. I hadn't tried a dark biscotti, so I decided to make a chocolate one this time. Who better to help me find a good recipe than Dorie Greenspan?
Full of dark chocolate and espresso flavor and packed with lots of almonds these dark beauties make you crave for more.

Chocolate Biscotti
(Dorie Greenspan, Baking)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant coffee or instant espresso powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar (I always use a bit less, more like 3/4)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds (or hazelnuts - next time)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla; beat for another 2 minutes. Decrease the speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead a few times just to incorporate any dry ingredients that didn't get mixed in before. Divide into two portions; on the baking sheet, shape each portion into a 12 x 2 inch log. Dust the tops with a little sugar (to make them look pretty, I'm assuming). Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the sheet from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Then, with a very sharp, serrated knife, slice the logs into about 3/4 - 1 inch slices and leave the slices standing up on the baking sheet (some people lay them down, but I like both sides to get crispy). Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes of baking.

Transfer biscotti to a rack to cool.

Spelt and Semolina Shortbread

Spelt is an ancient grain that has been grown in Europe for over 300 years. In North America it has been grown for just over 100 years. It is similar to wheat in appearance, but has a nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour. Spelt contains more protein than wheat, and the protein in spelt is easier to digest. 
These shortbread cookies are light and crispy. The nutty flavor of the spelt goes very well with the cinnamon in the cookie and the sprinkled sugar adds an interesting crunchy texture to the shortbread.

Spelt Shortbread Paste

From: Brithishlarder.uk

(makes approx. 40)

• 225g spelt flour
• 225g unsalted butter
• 100g corn flour
• 100g icing sugar
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Semolina Crunch

• 40g semolina
• 40g dark brown sugar

Place the spelt flour, corn flour, icing sugar, ground cinnamon and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter in small cubes. Add the butter to the flour by using the paddle attachment of the mixer, set the mixer on low spread and mix until all the butter has been rubbed in to the flour and it comes together. Do not overwork the pastry, as it will make the paste tough and elastic.

Divide the shortbread paste in to two even sized blocks, wrap well in cling film and rest the shortbread paste for one hour in the fridge. (I rolled the dough to a log and sliced the cookies from the log)

Preheat the oven to 170°C/335 F

Once you are ready to bake the shortbread remove the shortbread paste from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Roll the shortbreads out to 5mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a suitable cutter and cut the required shapes.Place the shortbread shapes on a lined baking sheet.

Make the semolina crunch by mixing the semolina and the dark brown sugar together. Evenly distribute the semolina crunsh over the short bread biscuits.

Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake the short breads for 15 minutes. Once cooked transfer the short breads to a cooling rack to cool.

Cookie Heaven

Baci di Dama

Recently I subscribed to a photo blog to get better at taking pictures. When I received the latest post of the blog yesterday it contained beautiful pictures, and also a recipe for little italian cookies. They are made with lots of hazelnuts and filled with chocolate or Nutella and are called Baci di Dama which means "Lady's kisses".  Despite my hazelnut allergy I knew immediately that I had to make these cookies as soon as possible . So I went off to the supermarket the next morning to get the hazelnuts. Unfortunately I had to visit several supermarkets to find them  - it seemed to be a bad harvest last fall. But the effort was well worth it.

The dough came together quickly and I used my small ice cream scoop to form the little dough balls.
By the time the cookies were cold enough to spread them with the chocolate,  I ran out of  time,  so I put them in a container waiting for me to have some free time.

Later that day, when I was ready to finish them, I opened the container and half of the cookies were already gone. I had no clue how that happened....
With or without chocolate these cookies are incredibly good, so start your diet next week and go to the store to get some nuts.

Baci di Dama
(adapted from Dario Milano)

• 300 g all purpose flour
• 250 g butter, softened
• 250 g sugar
• 250 g hazelnuts, grounded
• 200 g dark chocolate

Sift the flour and set aside. Make sure the butter is soft, you can use the microwave, but it's just easier to leave the butter at room temperature for a couple of hours before it's needed. Incorporate all the ingredients by hand wokring the dough gently but quickly; this should only take a couple of minutes. Set the dough aside and cover it with cling wrap to prefent it from getting too dry. Aline a baking tray with greaseproof paper and preheat oven to 180 C. Start shaping the little spheres tryiing to keep their size as consistent as poxssible; if you want you can use a teaspoon or a small ice cream scooper. Bake the biscuits for 10 - 15 minutes or until they become lightly golden in colour, but not brown. Let the biscuits cool down at room temperature, in the meantime melt the chocolate over a simmering bain-marie or in the microwave. Allow the chocolate to cool down as well, it has to have the consistency of nutella (in faact you can use nutella for an even nuttier taste) Next, sandwich the biscuits two at a time using half a teaspoon of chocolate to glue them together.. Store the baci away in an air tight container and keep for up to 5 days - that's if you can resist eating the all batch in one go

Chocolate Caramel Cracker

Around my house there is a certain kind of food that never lasts long. It seems as if it secretly disappears: suddenly it is all gone and no one knows where it went.
Last year my daughter and I found these amazing chocolate caramel crackers that everyone loved. Since we ran out of Christmas cookies already, my daughter decided to make the crackers again this year and everyone went crazy. It only took her about 30minutes to make them, which includes baking time and it was  super easy. Initially I was going to give them to my neighbor as a gift but by the time I got around to putting them in a bag there were barely any left. My daughter already made twice the amount from the recipe but it still wasn't enough, so trust me when I say that you won't have enough of these crackers!

• Chocolate Caramel Cracker
• Adapted from Smittenkitchen and David Lebovitz, who adapted it from Marcy Goldman who is the genius that first applied this to matzo
• 
  
• 4 to 6 sheets matzo, or approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers of your choice
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks or 8 ounces) cut into a few large pieces
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• A big pinch of sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup semi-, (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate) or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted chopped almonds, (optional) pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice
• Extra sea salt for sprinkling, (optional)

1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.

2.Line the bottom of the baking sheet with matzo or crackers, covering all parts. [If using matzo, you'll need to break pieces to fit any extra spaces, which will be annoying because despite being perforated, it does not actually break in straight lines. I have some luck pressing a serrated knife straight down along a section between perforations, if that (hopefully) makes sense.]

3.In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. You'll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.

4.Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.

5.Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. An offset spatula works great here. If you're using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt. (The sea salt is great on matzo. On Saltines, it's really not necessary.)

6.Once completely cool ‚ I sometimes speed this process up in the fridge, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crackers, break it into pieces and store it in a container. It should keep for a week but I've never seen it last that long.

Christmas Cookies

It is an old German tradition to bake Christmas cookies every year. When I was little my mother used to bake with some of her friends at our local school kitchen and then she would hide the cookies from us in our house. We were not allowed to eat them until Christmas day came. Nevertheless we knew exactly where they were and stole some cookies out of those tempting boxes every now and then. When Christmas day came and we were actually allowed to eat them, nobody wanted to anymore because we had all had our share already. This is why I tend to bake them early so that you can enjoy them during the whole Advent season. I am always glad when my boxes are empty on Christmas day.

This year I also baked together with a group of friends. This way it is easier to try new recipes and offer a lovely plate of different cookies. 

Ciambelle (Lemon Wreath)

(Martha Stewart)

We didn't form the cookies into a wreath but in small balls to make it a little easier.

FOR THE COOKIES

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt

⅔ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

FOR THE GLAZE

3 cups confectioners' sugar

7 to 8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemon

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons white nonpareils, for sprinkling

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Christine's Lemon Wreath Cookies - Martha Stewart Recipes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cookies: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Pulse sugar and zest in a food processor until combined, about 2 minutes.

Beat sugar-zest mixture and butter in a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until combined.

Scoop 1 tablespoon dough (or use a 11/8-inch ice cream scoop), and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 4-inch rope. Bring ends together, overlapping slightly, and press together to form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer rings to parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart, as you work. Bake until pale golden on the bottoms and around the edges, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.

Make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Dip the top side of each cookie into glaze, letting excess drip off. Return cookies to wire racks, glaze side up, and sprinkle with nonpareils. Let dry completely.

Decorated cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cranberry Coins
(Martha Stewart)
Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
Directions

Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add flour and salt; stir just until combined. Stir in dried cranberries. Divide dough into quarters.
On parchment, shape each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 4 inches long. Wrap logs tightly in parchment or plastic. Chill 30 minutes or up to 1 day. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen up to 1 month.)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Rotate log as you cut to keep it from flattening. Place rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges just begin to turn golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.


Jam Thumbprint's
(Martha Stewart)













Inside, butter's the key to fast, five-ingredient cookies; outside, ruby-red jam dazzles. If the dough is too soft to shape into balls, refrigerate it for a few minutes, until firm enough to handle; the cookies will spread as they bake, so leave plenty of room between them.

Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup jam (any type) (I like red currant jelly)
Directions

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, and beat until completely combined. With mixer on low, add flour, and mix just until incorporated.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Place on baking sheets, at least 3 inches apart.
Moisten thumb with water, and gently press the center of each ball, making an indentation about 1/2 inch wide and inch deep. In microwave or on stove, heat jam until liquefied; spoon about 1/2 teaspoon into each indentation. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. If storing, place in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.


Pepita Spice Cookies
(Martha Stewart)
makes 8 dozen

Note: This dough is very delicate, don't use too much flour

3/4 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups AP Flour, plus more for work surface

Heat a heavy skillet, such as cast iron, over medium-low. Add pepitas and shake skillet gently to move seeds around so they toast evenly and do not burn. TOast seeds until they are aromatic and barely take on color. Allow them to cool slightly. Pulse seeds in a food processor just until finely shopped.

Beat butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until  pale and fluffy,3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, salt and chopped pepitas, and beat until well combined. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. Divide dough into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic. Chill 90 minutes or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 325 F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 disk of dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and chill 1 hour. Repeat with remaining disk. Using a 2-inch almond-shaped cookie cutter (we used several shapes), cut out shapes. Reroll scraps of dough, and cut more shapes. Transfer shapes to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart, and chill 15 minutes.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through until golden brown around edges, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week.

Please email me at freshfromevaskitchen@gmail.com if you'd like to have one of the following recipes

Corn Flakes Cookies

Linzer Cookies

Poppy Seed Cookies

Amarettinis

Cappuccino Sables

Red Currant Stars

Eggnog Spritz Cookies

Biscotti

One of my favorite books is Bill Yosses "The Perfect Finish". I got it a couple of weeks ago and already made 5 recipes out of it. They all turned out delicious. 

These biscottis are fast, easy to make and you can swap ingredients (I didn't have Pistachios so I used Almonds and replaced the Almond Extract with Vanilla Extract). The dough needs to be chilled at least 4 hours or overnight before baking, so don't forget to start early.

Cherry, Almond, and Pistachio Biscotti

(Adapted from Bill Yosses:The Perfect Finish)

Feel free to add your own touch with a variety of dried fruit, whatever strikes your fancy: apricots, pears, cranberries, blueberries, papaya, or even a mixture. Storing: Double wrap in plastic and freeze the once-baked log, then slice and re-bake whenever you want them. 1 cup Whole-Wheat Flour, 4 oz, 125 g 1 cup AP flour, 4 oz, 125 g ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 2 oz, 60 g 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 5 g Pinch Salt 2 large Eggs, 3,4 oz, 96 g, lightly beaten ⅓ cup Milk, 2 oz, 60 g 3 ½ Tablespoons Canola oil or Macadamia Oil, 2 oz, 60 g 2 Tablespoons Honey, 1 oz, 35 g ½ Teaspoon Almond extract, 3 g 1 cup dried Cherry, 4 oz, 125 g ½ cup shelled Pistacios, 1 oz, 30 g In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, slowly beat to combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, honey and almond extract. Add the wet mixture to the dry all at once and beat just enough to bring the dough together. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the dried fruit and nuts. Scrape the dough onto a long piece of plastic wrap. Bring one side of the plastic wrap over the dough and roll it into a log 12 inches long and 2 - 3 inches in diameter. Chill the dough until firm enough to slice, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Carefully unwrap the dough and transfer the log to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 30 - 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and slide the log onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature. When the log has cooled, preheat the oven to 325 F. Using a serrated knife, slice the log on a slight diagonal into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the slices close together on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Only 8 minutes

I love cookies. Especially when they are sweet and salty and BUTTER is involved.

It took me only 8 minutes to mix the ingredients that make these delicious cookies . Be careful! They make you want to eat all at once.

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspans new book Around my french table

Salted Butter Break-ups Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 200 g ⅔ cup sugar, 130g ¾-1 teaspoon sel gris or kosher salt 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces, 125 g 3-5 tablespoons cold water 1 egg yolk, for the glaze fleur de sel Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Drop in the pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal—you’ll have both big pea-size pieces and small flakes. With the machine running, start adding the cold water gradually: add just enough water to produce a dough that almost forms a ball. When you reach into the bowl to feel the dough, it should be very malleable. Scrape the dough onto a work surface, form it into a square, and pat it down to flatten it a bit. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for about 1 hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.) When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and, if it’s very hard, bash it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it. Put the dough between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper and roll it into a rectangle that’s about 1/4 inch thick and about 5 x 11 inches; accuracy and neatness doesn’t count for a lot here. Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet. Beat the egg yolk with a few drops of cold water and, using a pastry brush, paint the top surface of the dough with an egg glaze. Using the back of a table fork, decorate the cookie in a crosshatch pattern. Sprinkle with some fleur de sel. Bake the cookie for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden. It will be firm to the touch but have a little spring when pressed in the center — — the perfect break-up is crisp on the outside and still tender within. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and allow the cookie to cool to room temperature.