Well, here we go. This is the first of many posts about finding, eating, and cooking some of my favorite things.
Yesterday was a slightly messy, mostly delicious day. After searching allrecipes.com for a butter cookie recipe that would yield slightly crisp, not-too-sweet cookies, I finally found a recipe that almost suits my needs (search "Classic Butter Cookies II"). I'm a bit snooty when it comes to cookies, and I wanted a crisper product with more interesting flavoring. So what's a girl to do? Why, tweak the recipe, of course.
Crisp Butter Cookies
I cut these with mini cookie cutters to make butterflies and daisies, then decorated them with writing chocolate. The cookies are just sweet enough, with a nice bite to them. They'll keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 weeks.
1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1/2 tsp. vanilla, almond, or lemon extract (I prefer lemon for a fresh zing on the palate)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1. Cream together butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add in egg, egg white, and extract.
2. Gradually add flour, one third at a time, on low speed. Mix until just incorporated.
3. Form into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon non-stick mats (e.g. Silpats).
5. Roll out dough on well-floured surface to 1/8'' thickness. Be sure to turn dough gently between rolls to ensure even thickness and prevent sticking. Cut out shapes with cookies cutters and move carefully with a spatula onto cookie sheets.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through time. Immediately move to wire rack for cooling.
Writing Chocolate
This recipe uses leftover chocolate chips or chunks from other projects. Placing the chocolate-decorated cookies in the freezer or refrigerator allows the chocolate to harden and set, but the chocolate will begin to melt again if left out for over an hour. Makes enough to sparingly decorate the above recipe.
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (bittersweet or unsweetened works best)
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1. Combine both ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until chocolate is almost melted.
2. Remove from microwave carefully, then stir the mixture until chocolate melts completely.
3. Spoon chocolate into piping bag fitted with your smallest tip, or into a sandwich-sized zip-top bag for decorating. If using the zip-top bag, snip off just the very corner (enough to make an opening the diameter of a pen tip). Decorate cookies carefully, then let set for 30 minutes before putting in freezer to harden chocolate.
Melted chocolate is a little messy, even with my zip-top bag perched in a water glass, open and ready to be filled. I've found it's best to use this method, along with a small silicon spatula, for scraping chocolate or royal icing into improvised piping bags. But it's no big loss if there's any spillage, as long as you keep it on your fingers. Tasty mishaps :)
Another of my favorite derivative recipes is the one for what I like to call "Spiced Chocolate Cupcake Brownies." It goes perfectly with the "Spiced Chocolate Frosting," another adjusted recipe. I found both original recipes on allrecipes.com, the first one"Cupcake Brownies," and the second "Chocolate Fudge Frosting."
Spiced Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes
These brownies are cooked in mini-cupcake liners, and taste like Mexican hot chocolate. Not too sweet, not too fudgy, but perfectly spicy! Makes about 5 dozen mini-cupcake sized brownies.
1 cup butter
1/8 tsp. ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate squares or chips
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. coffee (or coffee-flavored liqueur)
1 cup flour
1. In a small saucepan, melt together over low heat butter, ancho and regular chili powder, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate. Stir constantly. Let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place mini-cupcake liners in mini-cupcake pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until light in color.
4. Add in vanilla and coffee, then beat in chocolate mixture. Stir in flour, combining thoroughly.
5. Fill mini-cupcake liners 2/3 full using a melon baller or mini-ice cream scoop. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out crumby and slightly fudgy looking. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on wire rack. Frost with Spicy Chocolate Frosting if desired.
Spicy Chocolate Frosting
Light and fluffy, this frosting sets up nicely in the refrigerator. Keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Whip leftovers before using again. Makes enough to frost the entire above recipe.
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares or chips
1/4 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 lb. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1. In a microwaveable bowl, combine butter, chocolate, and ancho. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring each time, until chocolate is just melted.
2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, vanilla, and milk. Add chocolate mixture, combining thoroughly.
3. Let stand until spreadable. Mixture will thicken as it cools. If it is too stiff after cooling, re-whip, adding 1 tbs. milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. Put into piping bag with a large star tip to frost above recipe, or use an offset spatula to frost an 8'' round cake.
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