cookies

Chocolate Toffee Butter Cookies

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cookie.jpgChocolate Toffee Butter Cookies – Makes 5 dozen

2 1/3 cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt ( I use French Gray)

1 cup unsalted butter (softened, but cool)

1 cup packed light brown sugar (not dark brown)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup toffee bits without chocolate ( I just used English Toffee bars with chocolate)

1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips ( I used milk chocolate)

1 tbl vegetable oil (I used butter) 2/3 cup pecans toasted and finely chopped
  1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk them to blend.
  2. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
  3. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 additions, and mix until blended.
  4. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Stir in the toffee bits.
  5. Divide the dough in half. Roll 2 logs about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Flatten the logs into 2 1/2-inch-wide rectangles. Wrap rectangles in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours or until firm.
  6. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. With a long knife, cut the dough 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between them. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool cookies completely on the sheets. Bake remaining cookies.
  8. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, heat the chocolate chips, stirring occasionally, until they melt. Stir in the oil and mix until smooth.
  9. Holding one side of the cookies, dip a part of each one into the chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over the cookies with a spoon. Sprinkle pecans on top. Let the chocolate set about 1 hour.

 

Chocolate Toffee Butter Cookies

Bergers – Style Cookies

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Bergers-Style Cookies

Saw this recipe in Cooks Country Big Thanksgiving Cookbook and since I have book group coming tonight, thought this might be fun to serve.  I probably should put some spider legs on them, since Halloween is right around the corner, but I think I will be civil and boring today.  But these cookies are mouth-watering relish!  I just had one with my coffee for breakfast!  Yummy!

The magazine has lots of interesting information, suggestions and the other recipes look good too. I might have to try the Dutch Apple Pie or the easy Fish & Chips.  When I make a pie and only eat one slice, I take it to my local fire station so it can be enjoyed and not thrown out.  They seem to look forward to the treats I drop by.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

This Baltimorean cookie has gained a cult following thanks to the 1/2-inch layer of fudgy chocolate frosting perched on its cakey, lightly sweet vanilla cookie base. For our version, we creamed butter with sugar and used cake flour instead of all-purpose to create a soft, fluffy cookie base. For the signature sweet-yet-ultrachocolaty frosting, a combination of milk chocolate chips and Dutch-processed cocoa gave us the best chocolate flavor; heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar helped us nail the correct texture. Keeping the frosting between 90 and 100 degrees (which makes it the texture of thick brownie batter) ensured that it was easy to mound a hefty 2-tablespoon helping onto each cookie.

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INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes 24 cookies ( I only got 16)

COOKIES

2 cups (8 ounces) cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg white
1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

FROSTING

3 cups (18 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ⅔ cups (5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

The consistency of the frosting should resemble that of a thick brownie batter. It should mound and slowly spread over the cookies. It’s OK if some of the frosting drips down the sides of the cookies. If the frosting’s temperature drops below 90 degrees, it may become too thick to spread. To bring it back to its proper consistency, simply microwave it at 50 percent power in 5-second intervals, whisking after each interval. Our favorite Dutch-processed cocoa powder is Droste Cocoa.

1. FOR THE COOKIES: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2. Add egg white, cream, and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions until incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed.

3. Working with 1 heaping tablespoon dough at a time, roll into balls and space 2 inches apart on prepared sheets, 12 per sheet. Using your moistened fingers, press dough balls to form disks about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are just beginning to brown around edges, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool completely on sheet.

4. FOR THE FROSTING: Once cookies have cooled, combine chocolate chips, cream, and salt in large bowl. Microwave chocolate mixture at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Whisk cocoa, sugar, and vanilla into chocolate mixture until smooth. (Frosting should be texture of thick brownie batter and register about 95 degrees.)

5. Flip cookies on sheets. Spoon 2 tablespoons frosting over flat side of each cookie to form mound. Let cookies sit at room temperature until frosting is set, about 3 hours. Serve. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Bergers – Style Cookies

Rhubarb is still growing!

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Rhubarb in the garden is beautiful.  When I first added it to my yard, before I had raised bed gardens, I just thought it was pretty.  Now I actually harvest it and make things with it.  Last year I made nothing fresh, but this year, so far I made a Rhubarb Custard Pie and today I added a Rhubarb-Almond Cake and Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies.

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The Rhubarb-Almond cake smelled heavenly while baking and tasting a tiny bit of it, I think it is a winner.  I used the following recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine.  They said to use either a 8″ X 11″ tart pan with a removable bottom, or a 9″ round tart pan.  I had the 9″ round and a little bigger one.  After thought, use the larger pan.  This went over the edges and I think would be better a little thinner.

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

It might feel like you’re beating the batter for a long time, but that’s what gives this cake an airy lift. Stay with it!

Ingredients

8 SERVINGS

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for pan
  • 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup blanched almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Special Equipment

  • One 11×8″ tart pan or one 9″-diameter tart pan with removable bottom

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter tart pan and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess. Slice rhubarb in half lengthwise (quarter if very large). Set 8 of the prettiest pieces aside for the top of the cake; chop remaining rhubarb into ½” pieces.

Pulse flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground (texture should be sandy).

Place 1 cup butter and ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to blend first egg before adding second. Beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, followed by yogurt. Beat, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed, just to combine (batter will be thick). Fold in chopped rhubarb and scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth batter and arrange reserved rhubarb over top; sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar.

Place tart pan on a large rimmed baking sheet (to catch any rogue juices) and bake, rotating once, until cake is golden brown and rhubarb on top is soft and beginning to brown, 70–80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool before removing from pan.

Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Rhubarb Oatmeal CookiesIMG_5262

My husband really liked these, but in all honesty they are not my favorite, but I am not a big cookie eater.  This recipe was on a blog called  Half Her Size.

Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time  –  20 mins
Cook time  –  12 mins
Total time  –  32 mins
Rhubarb recipes often pour on the sugar overwhelming its natural flavors. In this recipe fresh ginger and lemon zest add a bright flavor without overpowering the rhubarb’s signature tang. These soft rhubarb oatmeal cookies are perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. They would make a lightly sweet addition to an afternoon shower or garden party menu.
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup (5 ounces) finely diced fresh rhubarb, 3-4 medium stalks
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • ¾ cup rolled oats (not quick cook)
  • ⅓ cup (75g.) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (I used Lime juice, as I did not have a lemon)
Method
  1. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Toss the rhubarb pieces with 1 tablespoon of sugar and let set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl — Sift together flour, baking soda and all spice. Whisk in the oats.
  4. In a larger bowl — Use a fork to whip the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. When fluffy mix in egg until combined then add the vanilla, ginger, and lemon zest.
  5. Gently mix the flour into the batter until just combined. Once all dry ingredients have been blended, fold in the rhubarb pieces and any juice.
  6. Spoon the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets using a small, leveled, cookie scoop or by the rounded teaspoonfuls. Bake the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 cookie Calories: 83 Fat: 3.6g Carbohydrates: 13g Sugar: 5.5g Sodium: 38mg Fiber: .5g Protein: 1gWeight Watchers Points Plus: 2
It is always fun to try new recipes.  Let me know what you think?
Rhubarb is still growing!