Daily Dose: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

It's amazing the variety of cookies you can make once you have a solid, basic dough.  This Snickerdoodle recipe was modified for both yesterday's and today's post.  Yesterday's modification came from extract.  Today's comes from the addition of traditional Mexican hot chocolate (which really deserves it's own post - it's THAT good!).  These cookies aren't overly chocolaty and the addition of cayenne gives them a very deep, complex flavor.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tablet Mexican hot chocolate, grated

Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(NOTE:  the hot chocolate is pretty sweet, so if you want, you can reduce the sugar to keep things balanced.  I like them just the way they are, of course!)

Coating:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Once smooth, add the egg and mix.  Add the chocolate and mix. Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla extract. Mix to incorporate.

Mix in the dry ingredients, one-half at a time.  The dough will be soft, so refrigerate for an hour or two to allow it to firm up.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Form the dough into 1 inch balls.  In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the coating.  Press each ball into the coating, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Remove to a cooling rack.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tablet Mexican hot chocolate, grated
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coating:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions:

1.  Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
2.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Once smooth, add the egg and mix.  Add the chocolate and mix. Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla extract. Mix to incorporate.
3.  Mix in the dry ingredients, one-half at a time.  The dough will be soft, so refrigerate for an hour or two to allow it to firm up.
4.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Form the dough into 1 inch balls.  Press each ball into the coating, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
5.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Remove to a cooling rack.

Daily Dose: Peppermint Cookies

I'm a sucker for peppermint desserts!  Take these peppermint cookies - they are fresh, and light, and oh-so-delicious.   When I was first looking for recipes, I kept coming across the traditional pin-wheel peppermint cookie.  But I'm too lazy to deal with the extra work involved in pin-wheeling, especially since it adds nothing to the taste of the cookie.   So I modified my favorite Snickerdoodle recipe and wound up with a great tasting (and great looking) peppermint cookie.  Who needs pinwheels?!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Coating:
1/2 cup red and white sugar sprinkles
OR
6 crushed peppermint candies
(NOTE: I made a batch with each coating.  The sugar sprinkles keep their shape and color, while the peppermint candies melt and bleed.  Both look good, but I prefer the look of the sugar sprinkles)


Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Once smooth, add the egg and mix.  Scrape down the bowl and add the peppermint extract. Mix to incorporate.

Mix in the dry ingredients, one-half at a time.  The dough will be soft, so refrigerate for an hour or two to allow it to firm up.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Form the dough into 1 inch balls.  Press each ball into the coating of your choice, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Remove to a cooling rack.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Coating:
1/2 cup red and white sugar crystals
OR
6 crushed peppermint candies

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Cream together butter and sugar.  Once smooth, add the egg and mix.  Scrape down the bowl and add the peppermint extract. Mix to incorporate.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients, one-half at a time.  The dough will be soft, so refrigerate for an hour or two to allow it to firm up.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Form the dough into 1 inch balls.  Press each ball into the coating of your choice, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Remove to a cooling rack.

Daily Dose: Individual Berry Trifles

Fall is creeping around the corner here in NYC, but I'm holding on to summer for as long as I can.  And what says summer better than berries?!?!  This recipe is great for entertaining since it can (and should) be made the night before. It can also be made in individual portions, which guests love! 


Ingredients:
1 package frozen mixed berries
2 tablespoons limoncello liqueur 
2/3 cup granulated sugar,
Plus 2 tablespoons sugar for the whipped cream
30-40 madeleine cookies
1 cup heavy whipping cream

(Makes 8 individual trifles)


Directions:

In a medium sauce pan combine the berries, limoncello, and 2/3 cups sugar.  Heat on medium until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer until the berries give off their juices, then remove from heat. (NOTE:  The frozen berries are delicious, quick, and much cheaper than fresh berries.  But if you want to kick the recipe up a notch, you can add a small package of your favorite fresh berry towards the end.  Simmer until the fresh berries are just warmed through).

While the berry sauce is cooling, chop the madeleines into small cubes.

The next step is to layer the madeleines and the warm berry sauce.  I used clear 10 oz. party cups so that the layers and colors would be visible.  Start with the madeleines, then top with warm sauce.  Repeat until the cup is full, leaving about an inch for the whipped cream.  Cover each cup with plastic wrap.  Place the individual trifles in the refrigerator to chill and to allow the madeleines to absorb the sauce, about 4-6 hours.

Just before serving, make your whipped cream.  I like to chill the mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before making the whipped cream.  Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the chilled bowl and combine with the heavy whipping cream.  Whisk the mixture until stiff peaks form.

Top each trifle with a generous dollop of whipped cream.  You can garnish with fresh berries, shaved chocolate, or mint (or all three!).

Paraphernalia: Williams-Sonoma Cake Plate/Punch Bowl

It's a punch bowl!  Wait, it's a cake plate! OMG! It's BOTH!

I live in a small Brooklyn studio, so my obsession with bakeware, gadgets, and appliances is kept in check by the lack of counter and storage space.  I'm always on the lookout for baking paraphernalia that does double duty; like this neat cake plate from Williams-Sonoma, which doubles as a punch bowl!

I also see potential for a third use: trifle bowl. The punch bowl setup would be great for showing off the beautiful layers of a trifle. (SPOILER ALERT:  Tomorrow's Daily Dose is a wonderful berry trifle, but since I have yet to acquire this beautiful punch bowl, I'm doing individual trifles in small clear glasses).

What makes me love this plate/bowl even more?  The $30 price tag!  I'm definitely jonesing for this one.

Daily Dose: Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwiches

This recipe is a variation of an ice cream sandwich my law school roommate introduced me to (God bless her).  Her version is phenomenal, mainly because it has the perfect chocolate cookie for an ice cream sandwich; firm enough to support the ice cream, but not so dry that it crumbles when you bite into it.  Unfortunately, I can't find the recipe for the cookie anywhere (Arg!), so I've had to make a substitution (which actually simplifies the recipe quite a bit). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
*1 quart of your favorite vanilla ice cream 
*20-30 peppermint candies 
*12 brownie bites

Directions:

Remove ice cream from freezer and allow to soften slightly. While the ice cream is softening you can crush the peppermint candies.

Remove the peppermint candies from their wrappers and place in your blender or food processor. Process until the candies are crushed - some larger pieces are fine. (Be careful when removing the top of the blender of processor, as a cloud of peppermint dust left me in a coughing fit!). Save 1/3 of the crushed candies for later.

In a mixing bowl, blend 2/3's of the crushed candies into the softened ice cream (save the ice cream container!) until well incorporated. Return the ice cream to its original container and place in the the freezer until the ice cream is firm enough to scoop. This could take several hours depending on your freezer.

While the ice cream is freezing, flatten the brownie bites between wax paper.

Scoop desired amount of ice cream onto a flattened brownie. Top with a second flattened brownie. Roll the sides of the sandwich in the leftover crushed candies. (Note: You want to work quickly so the ice cream doesn't get soupy. I like to keep a baking sheet lined with wax paper in the freezer, and as I finish each sandwich, I transfer it to the freezer.)

Allow the sandwiches to firm up in the freezer for several hours. Once firm, wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap or wax paper and keep in the freezer until serving time (or eat 3 in one sitting, like I did!).