Spoon Cookies Lusikkaleivat recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch fine salt
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 cup jam, such as a berry, plum or cloudberry
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter browns lightly and smells slightly nutty, about 15 minutes. Transfer the butter to a medium bowl -- be sure to get all the tasty brown bits -- and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in another medium bowl.

Whisk the egg yolk, sugar and vanilla into the cooled browned butter.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture to make a uniform but crumbly dough that looks like wet sand.

Scoop out dough with a small teaspoon (the kind you set the table with, not the ones you measure with). Rock spoon gently back and forth against the side of the bowl, packing the dough into the spoon, then scrape/slide the spoon against the inside of the bowl to make spoon-shaped cookies. Trim excess dough with your fingers and slide out onto the prepared pans, preserving their shape. (Try to make sure you form an even number of cookies, since these sandwich together.)

Bake cookies until just browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool almost completely on the baking sheets, and then transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

When cool, spread 1/2 teaspoon jam on the flat side of a cookie, and then sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies have met their match. Lightly dust the cookies with the confectioners' sugar. Serve.

Busy baker's tips: The dough can be prepared several hours ahead and stored at room temperature. Freeze baked cookie halves wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, defrost at room temperature and assemble as desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not store with crisp cookies, as moisture from the jam will soften the texture of other crisp cookies.

Enjoy!

Christmas Citrus Squares recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks), unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons red currant jelly

Filling:

2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch fine salt
1 cup freshly squeezed clementine juice, about 6 clementines
1 lemon juiced (4 to 5 tablespoons)
2 clementines (about 2 teaspoons) zest finely grated
1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons) zest finely grated
2 clementines or 2 blood oranges, sliced and cut into small triangular pieces, for serving, optional

Directions

Butter a 9 by 12 1/2-inch baking pan. Line pan with foil and leave about 2 inches extra on all sides. Butter the foil.

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar on medium, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn mixer to low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over work the dough.

Transfer dough to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly across the pan and pressing to make a 1/4-inch thick covering over the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, then press and flatten using your hands over the top to smooth and even out the dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the plastic from the top of the dough and prick the dough with a fork or a wooden skewer. Bake the crust until just golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the jelly in the microwave until soft enough to spread, about 1 minute. Spread the jelly with a pastry brush or an offset spatula over the crust. Return to the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Cool crust completely on a wire rack, 1 hour.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat until thick and slightly pale. Stir in the citrus juices and zest, and whisk gently to blend well.

Pour the filling onto the cooled crust and bake until the filling is firm but still loose and wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight before cutting.

Remove bars from refrigerator and dip the bottom of it in warm water to soften the butter and release the foil from the sides of the pan. Use foil to lift pastry out of the baking pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut into about 50 1 1/2-inch squares, wiping down the knife with a hot, wet towel between cuts. Top each square with a tiny triangular segment of clementine or blood orange (with the peel on) and serve.

Enjoy!

Candy Cane Cookies recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 drops red food coloring
3 drops green food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add egg and lemon juice and continue to mix. Add dry mixture incrementally to wet mixture until fully incorporated.

Divide dough into 2 separate bowls; add 3 drops red food coloring to 1 bowl and 3 drops green food coloring to the other. Stir until colors are prevalent throughout.

Roll out both doughs on flour-dusted parchment paper to about 1/6-inch thick. Trim edges with a butter knife or pizza cutter to make a solid rectangle. Cut each color dough into 10 even strips, twist and wrap green dough with red dough and form candy cane shapes.

Place twisted dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart (they will spread) and bake for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Remove and cool.

Enjoy!

Hazelnut Tea Cookies recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F and arrange racks in upper and lower third. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until aerated and evenly combined; set aside.

Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until whipped and light, about 2 more minutes.

Add half of the nuts and mix until evenly incorporated and nuts are broken up, about 1 minute. Add flour and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in remaining nuts.

Shape dough into 1 tablespoon balls and place on baking sheets, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until underside of cookies are brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets.

Meanwhile, place some powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Once the cookies have cooled, roll them in the powdered sugar until just coated and tap off excess. Let cool completely and recoat in powdered sugar, tapping off excess sugar, before serving.

Enjoy!

Almond Shortbreads recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup raw almonds with skins, plus 18 whole almonds for decorating
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg white, beaten
Special Equipment: 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, 9-inch cake pan or 9-by-9-inch baking pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Blend and pulse the sugar and 1/2 cup almonds in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse sand. (If there are a couple small chunks of nuts, that's fine.) Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts and the salt, and pulse until creamy. Add the flour and continue to pulse to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Dip the spatula in a little warm water to help smooth and even the surface of the shortbread. Cover and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and pierce the dough all over with a fork. Generously sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar. Toss the whole almonds in the egg white. Evenly arrange and press the nuts into the dough around the edge of the pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool the shortbreads on the rack completely. Carefully remove the tart ring and cut the shortbread with a sharp knife into wedges, each with a nut. (Alternatively, present the shortbread as one large cookie. Cool the shortbread in the pan completely, remove the tart ring and serve. Cut the shortbread into wedges as desired.)

Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!

Paradise Macaroons recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Snow Peaks recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips
Special Equipment: piping bag, medium size round tip

Directions

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn up the speed to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, while whisking, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Place the meringue into a piping bag with a medium-size round tip attached. Pipe 48 bite-size tear-drop-shaped meringues onto the sheets and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed, and then turn off the heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.

Melt the chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Holding each meringue by the peak, dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess chocolate drip off before placing on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature; do not put in the fridge. Once set, store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!