White Chocolate Dipped Green Tea Biscotti

 Happy groundhog day! I guess Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today so we are in for 6 more weeks of winter. Oh well, look on the bright side the cold will make that afternoon cup of hot coffee or tea and biscotti taste that much better ;)

White Chocolate Dipped Green Tea Biscotti 
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Matcha Powder
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Almond Extract
2 Eggs
3 ounces White Chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder, set aside until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together for a few minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time scraping after each addition, until well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the flour mixture in three additions until well mixed, scraping the bowl as needed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a log, about 12 inches, then place the log on the prepared baking sheet (the dough will be a bit soft, I used two spatulas to gently lift the log onto the baking sheet). Bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove the log from oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Once cooled, slice the log diagonally into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place pieces back on the baking sheet and bake for another 30 minutes, turning them half way through. Allow biscotti to cool while you prepare the white chocolate. To prepare the white chocolate place either chips or chunks into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 second intervals stirring in between until chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate is melted and the biscotti is cooled dip the bottoms of each biscotti into the white chocolate, you can also use an offset spatula to help spread the chocolate along the bottom evenly. Place dipped biscotti on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate until white chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Makes 6 Biscotti , plus 2 ends

White Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookies

These cookies were inspired by a local cookie shop that sells raw cookie dough balls that you take home and bake yourself. Our friends gave us three of these cookie balls to try. We had a snickerdoodle, a ginger cookie, and a white chocolate cranberry almond cookie. All of the cookies were delicious, but the white chocolate cranberry almond cookie was my favorite. It was soft and chewy with just the right amount of almond flavoring. I decided to try and recreate this cookie myself  and I was really happy with the way they turned out. This cookie is a great twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie.

White Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookie
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted then cooled until warm
1 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
1 teaspoon Almond
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and the sugars until well combined. Add the egg, yolk, almond, and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients, then add to the butter mixture and beat just to combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Form dough into 2 tablespoon sized balls and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until golden.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats 

Peanut Butter and Honey Sprinkled Cookies

Have you you ever heard of crystallized honey? I found this little guy (see picture below) at a local natural foods store and I was intrigued. So I bought him and took him home. The next challenge was to figure out what to with him. Then it hit me, peanut butter and honey cookies. I found this tasty looking recipe on Smitten Kitchen and instead of rolling the cookies out in sugar I rolled them in honey crystals.

I made these cookies and they were everything I'd hoped they would be, soft and chewy with just a hint of honey flavor. I have to admit I forgot one ingredient when I was making these cookies, so I was faced with the dilemma of starting all over or baking the cookies, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I chose the latter and the cookies turned out great. So what was this mystery ingredient that slipped my mind? It was the brown sugar, but the cookies still turned out very tasty and just a little less sweet which D and I both agreed was actually quite nice.

Peanut Butter and Honey Sprinkled Cookies
1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Smooth Peanut Butter, Room Temperature
3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1 Egg, Room Temperature*
2 tablespoon Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 cup Peanut Butter Chips
Crystallized Honey for Rolling (granulated sugar can be substituted for the crystallized honey)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and the peanut butter until well combined, then beat in the sugars until smooth. Beat in the egg until well incorporated, scraping sides and bottom as needed. Add the vanilla and milk and beat to combined. Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Form dough into 2 tablespoon sized balls then roll around in the crystallized honey until covered. Press cookies down a bit with the back of a spoon or knife. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

*To bring egg to room temperature quickly cover egg in hot tap water for 10 minutes before use.

Recipe Adapted From Smitten Kitchen  where it was adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Shortbread and Jam: A Springtime Daisy Cookie

These cookies are the perfect springtime treat, especially when made with strawberry jam. You can cut these cookies into any shape you like, or if you don't want a lot scrapes left over after cutting, just cut them into squares. Although the scrapes are quite tasty too. I ate them this morning with coffee after D and I got back from any earlier morning dental appointment (7 a.m. yikes).

Shortbread and Jam Cookies
7 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Superfine Sugar*
1 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
2/3 cup Strawberry Jam (or whichever kind of jam you fancy)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard sized baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl stir together the soft butter and sugar until combined. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture, then use your hands to mix together until crumbly. Whisk together the egg and vanilla then add it to the dough mixture. Knead mixture until the dough comes together and form it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Once dough it chilled cut the dough in half and place one half on a floured work surface (put the other half back in the fridge until you are ready for it). Roll the dough out thin, about 1/4 inch. Place rolled dough on prepared baking sheet and spread jam evenly over the top. Roll out the  other half of the dough and place it on top of the jam. If pieces don't quite line up just patch the dough together until they do and the jam is covered. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges and parts of the surface start to brown. Once baked, remove from the oven and let the shortbread cool in the pan for a few minutes, then using the parchment paper to lift, transfer the shortbread to a wire rack and allow it to cool for a few more minutes. Then place the shortbread with the parchment on the counter and cut as desired, while the cookies are still slightly warm.

Makes about 9 cookies, depending on the size of the cutter

* To make superfine sugar, pulse sugar in a food processor for a few seconds until fine.

Recipe slightly adapted from Apples for Jam

Carrot Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are fun and pretty simple to make. The dough comes together quickly so you can easily make it the night before then stick it in the refrigerator and make your cookies in the morning. When rolling out the dough be sure to use enough flour so the dough does not stick to the rolling pin. If you find the dough is getting too soft to work with, stick it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it firms up a bit. I find it helpful to use a metal spatula to transfer the unbaked cookies from the work surface to the baking sheet.

Sugar Cookies 

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1 Egg, Room Temperature*
3/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and the powdered sugar till fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour mixture and beat to incorporate. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Working with half of the dough at a time (leaving the other half in the refrigerator), on a floured work surface roll out dough then cut into shapes. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12-15 cookies

* To bring the egg to room temperature place the egg in a bowl and fill the bowl with hot tap water. Allow egg to sit in water for 10 minutes.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Frosting 
8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1 tablespoon Meringue Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
3 tablespoons Milk 

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter, meringue powder and vanilla until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat to combined. Pour in the milk and beat for a few minutes, until frosting is nice and fluffy. 

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Assembly
Place 1/3 cup frosting in a separate bowl and stir in two drops of green food coloring until all frosting has been colored. To the remaining frosting add 4 drops of orange food coloring and beat until all the frosting has been colored, add more food coloring if desired. For the coconut, place 2 drops green food coloring in a container fitted with a lid. Add 1/4 cup shredded coconut, cover and shake until all coconut has been dyed. 
Frost the carrot leaves first then sprinkle with coconut. To frost the carrot, fill a pastry bag fitted with the star attachment half way full with the orange frosting. Line the border of the carrot with stars, then fill in the middle.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars

The sea salt sprinkled over the chocolate is what really makes these bars pop, they taste like eating a homemade candy bar. The sea salt compliments the sweetness of the of the chocolate and caramel perfectly. The shortbread cookie bottom is not too sweet, a bit crumbly and full of buttery goodness. I think these bars taste best when served at room temperature.

Shortbread
Ingredients
8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour, plus more for pan
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Directions
Butter and flour the bottom of a 9 inch square pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, blend together all of the above ingredients until the dough takes shape, about 2 minutes. Press mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden. While shortbread is baking, make the caramel.

Caramel
Ingredients
12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
3 tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup
14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions 
Stir all of the caramel ingredients together in a large sauce pan and heat over medium, (reduce heat if necessary to prevent burning). Allow mixture to come to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture gets pretty thick. Pour caramel over shortbread and cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes then refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate
Ingredients
7 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Sea Salt for Sprinkling

Directions 
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Pour melted chocolate over caramel and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. Cut into bars.

Recipe slightly adapted from Baking Bible: From the Oven to the Table

J'aime Madeleines

 My first attempt at making homemade madeleines sadly did not go as I had planned. A few years ago, when I was a poor college student I tried to make madeleines, but because I was a poor college student I made "substitutions" using the ingredients I had on hand instead of going to the store and purchasing the proper ingredients. Needless to say it was a disaster and I haven't attempted to make this delicate cookie again, until now. It sure does make a world of difference when you have all of the right ingredients before you embark on any baking project. This is just one of the many baking lessons I have learned through trial and error. The one good thing I can say about making mistakes in the kitchen is that you always learn something new, you learn at least one way not make something and move on to the next attempt, eventually you will have success.

Madeleines 
8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled (plus more for pan)
3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour, (plus more for pan)
2 ounces Blanched Almonds, Finely Ground
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
3 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Orange Flower Water (optional)
Powdered Sugar for dusting

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment chop almonds until they are finely ground.  In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and finely ground almonds, set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat together the eggs and salt until foamy.  Beat half of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla and orange flower water (if using) to the melted butter then pour into the into the egg and flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Add the rest of the flour and beat until well combined. Cover and refrigerate batter for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour madeleine pan. Fill each madeleine cup half way full with batter. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Once madeleines are done baking, immediately turn them out onto a wire rack to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 24 cookies

Recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are big, not the biggest cookie I've ever seen (or even eaten for that matter) but they are still pretty BIG. You can eat one with a large glass of cold milk and be satisfied. I recommend eating these cookies while they are still warm from the oven, I think they taste best that way. Don't have 12 hungry people to feed freshly baked cookies to? That's okay because you can freeze the cookie dough. Just form the dough into 1/4 cup sized disks and freeze in a single layer. Once frozen, transfer cookies to a freezer bag. When you are ready to bake, put the frozen cookies on a baking sheet and straight into a 325 degree F oven. Bake frozen cookies for 20-23 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
10 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 Whole Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt butter, then set aside to cool. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugars and butter. Add the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla, beat on medium-high for 2 minutes, scrape the sides as needed. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low just till combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop dough in 1/4 cup sized heaps onto prepared baking sheets (6 cookies per sheet), flatten slightly (I like to use the back of an offset spatula for this). Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden around the edges. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack.*

Makes 12-13 cookies

*These cookies taste best when they are still warm from the oven.

Recipe slightly adapted from Farmgirl Fare where it was adapted from Nigella Kitchen : Recipes from the Heart of the Home

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Lately I have been craving peanut butter cookies. I can't even remember the last time I had one. So when I was making my grocery list this morning I made sure peanut butter made it's way on there. D and I rarely eat peanut butter anymore, which is strange because I would say for three solid years it was all we ate for lunch, PB&J's seven days a week 52 weeks in a year, that's a lot of peanut butter. Okay so maybe we didn't eat it everyday, but it sure felt like it. I started to loath peanut butter. I think I just figured out why I haven't had a peanut butter cookie in so long. Actually I really do like peanut butter, but just when it's part of dessert, not for lunch.

I set out this morning with the intention of buying plain old peanut butter but what I found intrigued me. Are you ready for it... white chocolate peanut butter . Now I realize you have probably heard of this before and you may even have some in your cupboard right now (which would be great because then you could make these cookies), but I guess I've been out of the peanut butter loop because I just discovered this gem today.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies 
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 /2 cup Granulated Sugar, (plus more for sprinkling in you like)
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1 cup White Chocolate Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon Milk
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Peanut Butter and Butter

Sugar, Egg, Milk and Vanilla, added

Flour, Baking Soda and Salt

Flattened Dough Sprinkled with Sugar 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until well combined. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Beat until well combined. Using a muffin scoop, drop heaps of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten with the back spoon, knife, or fork. Sprinkle with a little sugar if you like. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 40 cookies

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

When I was a kid I loved oatmeal sandwich cookies . They would come in a box each one wrapped up individually in a cellophane package. I remember devouring them on long road trips with my family. They were so soft, they would almost just melt in your mouth.
These carrot cake sandwich cookies were inspired by this nostalgic treat.

Makes 14 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

Cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 salt

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and beat until well combined. In a separate bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the carrots, pineapple, and raisins. Drop dough by one tablespoon at a time onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool on rack.

Filling 
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange juice

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese and the butter. Add the powdered sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the orange juice, beat to combine.

Once cookies have cooled, turn half of the cookies up side down and frost with the cream cheese frosting, then top with the remaining cookies.

Cookies can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerate for a few days.

These cookies pair well with a cup of spicy black tea and taste best served at room temperature.

Heart Shaped Frosted Sugar Cookies

This sugar cookie recipe is a very special recipe to me because it came from my Oma. She was an excellent baker, and one of my fondest memories from early childhood was decorating sugar cookies with her. These cookies are delicious frosted or even just plain with a cup of coffee or tea.

For the sugar cookies you will need...
1/2 lb butter
3/4 Cup sugar
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 Egg yolks
1 Whole egg
2 Teaspoons baking powder

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbled. Lightly beat together egg yolks and whole egg. Add eggs to crumbled mixture and knead together  to form the dough into a ball. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Working with half the dough at a time (leave the other half in the refrigerator so it doesn't get too warm), roll out thin and cut with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until very light brown. Cool on rack.

 

For the frosting you will need...
1/2  lb butter, room temperature
5 Cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 Teaspoons vanilla

Beat together the butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Start beating on low and gradually increase the speed as the sugar becomes incorporated. Beat for a few minutes to get really fluffy frosting. Add a little food coloring if desired.

Decorate frosted cookies with an assortment of candies if you like. As a kid I would always decorate my cookies with red hots and shoestring licorice.

A Wee Bit Healthier Tiny Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

I make D's lunch in the mornings. It's much healthier than going out to eat and cheaper too! I try to make him a nutritious lunch but I know sometimes it can be a bit dull so I usually make some sort of treat to pack along with all of the wholesome goodness.

His lunch (and mine) usually goes something like this...
- Spinach salad with kidney beans and a hard boiled egg with a vinaigrette made of olive oil, lemon juice, and a light sprinkle of kosher salt
- An orange (here's a tip: if you peel an orange using a spoon it is much easier and it doesn't hurt your fingers)
- Homemade whole wheat bread
- Special treat

So to spice it up a little I decided to make some tiny oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Makes 40 tiny cookies

For this recipe you will need...
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (to make it a wee bit healthier)
3/4 Cup Bread Flour
1 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Softened
2 Eggs
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Now to make the cookies...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat if you have one

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat again till well mixed

In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, then add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined

 Stir in the oats and chocolate chips

Next scoop 2 teaspoon sized portions of the cookie dough and drop on to the prepared baking sheets (I like to use a small ice cream scoop for this)

Bake for 12-15 minutes and cool on rack

Store cookies in your cookie jar or an air tight container