Quick Feet, Good Eats » cookies

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting Filling Recipe

Samantha — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:05:25 +0000

Back in December, my sister and I took a cupcake decorating class at Butter Lane Cupcakes in NYC. In a class with about a dozen others, we made Butter Lane’s signature vanilla, chocolate, and cream cheese frostings and were taught the proper techniques to whipping up the perfectly, light and airy frosting they use on all their cupcakes. Their secret? They cream the butter and cream cheese (there’s cream cheese in all their frostings) on medium for 5 minutes. That’s right – 5 minutes on medium. I don’t know about you, but when I make pretty much anything, I’m not standing at my mixer waiting patiently for 5 minutes. I mix until combined and move on. But in order to achieve that super light and creamy frosting, 5 minutes is totally necessary.

So a few days after the class, I opted to make my own cream cheese frosting to top off some chocolate cupcakes. Since the frosting recipe from Butter Lane makes nearly double what I needed to frost my cupcakes, I had to think of another use (we all know that letting perfectly good frosting go to waste is a sin). I thought about it for a while and Googled a few recipes and finally found the perfect way to use up my extra cream cheese frosting: carrot cake cookies filled with cream cheese frosting. Duh, right?

I was a little skeptical when I decided to make these cookies. Carrot cake in cookie form? But I went through with the recipe and I’m glad I did. These were super moist and packed with flavor. I personally think these could stand alone, without the addition of the cream cheese frosting, but the frosting just “put the icing on the cake” – as the expression goes! As a foodie (and proud!) I seldom make the same recipe twice. I like trying new things and baking up new creations, but these cookie will definitely be made again, and again! Trust me on this one, you’re going to want to make these.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
from Picky Cook

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter – room temp
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs – room temp
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats – not instant
1 1/2 cup grated carrots – about 3 large carrots
1 cup raisins – optional (i hate raisins so i omitted)
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Directions
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, silpats, or simply spray with cooking spray.

In a mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 – 4 minutes in a stand mixer). Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until well combined.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger; whisk to combine. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix on low until just combined. Do not overmix!

Mix in oats, carrots, raisins (if using) and walnuts. Chill dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shape tablespoons of dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. I flattened mine a bit and sprinkled a bit of sugar on the tops before putting in the oven.
Bake until browned and crisp around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes (mine took 11 minutes so check early) rotating halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
from Butter Lane Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 stick of butter, at room temp
16 oz cream cheese, at room temp
8 cups confectioners sugar
1 splash vanilla extract

Directions
Combine butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. While mixing at a low speed, add sugar. Once combine, add a splash of vanilla extract and mix on a medium to high speed for 3 minutes, or until smooth and fully combined. Frost and enjoy!

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Samantha — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:15:36 +0000

As we all know, hurricane Irene paid the east coast a little visit this past weekend. She pretty much ruined all the plans everyone had, has made getting anywhere in north Jersey a 2+ hour drive, and has flooded out homes, towns, and places of employment. My heart goes out to all those who now have severe water damage to their homes and are still without electricity. If I could, I would pack a little basket of cookies and sail them to you!

Fully knowing I was going to be rained in this weekend – well, mainly just Sunday – I stocked up on all the essentials: flour, sugar, brown sugar, marshmallows (I’ll be putting those to use shortly!), butter, eggs, milk, and chocolate chips. Phew! My hobby is getting expensive. So Sunday was a lazy day filled with baking, reading, eating, and sleeping. My kinda day!

Before I get into these delicious peanut butter chocolate chip oat cookies – they’re worth the wait, trust me! – I have to express my addiction to Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. If you haven’t yet heard of his books – starting with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – I highly suggest you look into them. Before I began reading his first novel I had no idea what I was in for. By the end, main character Lisbeth Salander had me absolutely hooked. I’m now on the second book nearing the end and literally cannot put it down. Every page brings a new twist or turn to the already captivating plot. Larsson combines mystery, journalism at it’s finest, scandals, murders, the Swedish sex trade, and family saga together to form novels that will literally have you on the edge of your seat.

Hurricane Irene basically gave me an excuse to seclude myself from the world and submerge myself in this book, which, I didn’t hate. But the fact that my place of employment is fully submerged in water makes me wish Irene minded her own darn business this past weekend…

Nonetheless, I was left with free time and decided to whip out my favorite cookbook: Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours. I actually made these cookies last week for my coworkers and since they were such a hit, I decided to make another batch over the weekend. Dorie really knows her desserts and this variation from the traditional chocolate chip cookie is just what I was looking for. I’ve always been a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate so these were right up my ally, but then they also have rolled oats and cinnamon to give them that chewy, spicy, oatmeal raisin cookie feeling. I’m not quite sure whether I ate more of the dough or the actually cookies… I get the feeling that’s become a far too common dilemma of mine. Oh well!

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipster
Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks (I used chocolate chips)

Getting Ready: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (I only baked one batch at a time on the center rack. In fact I baked one dozen and then froze the dough and did not reuse it for another week. I then let the dough thaw and baked the rest one batch at a time)

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips.

If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.) If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula – they’ll firm as they cool.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars with Graham Cracker Crust

Samantha — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:47:51 +0000

For those of you who need an update, here it is: today is August 1st. Where did the first 7 months of this year go!?! I feel like I was just celebrating my 21st birthday or sitting in my dorm room doing homework an hour before it was due for class or training for the NJ Half Marathon in May. They say time flies when you’re having fun, right?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s still bikini season and the fact that I made these cheesecake bars is beyond me. Well actually, I have somewhat of an excuse, because they technically weren’t for my consumption. They were made per request, so ALL of them were given away. Sad, I know, until my mother demanded – yes, demanded – that I make a batch so that she can try them, because according to her, I “never make anything for the house.” Well, Mother, last time I made monkey bread for the house, it sat around for days because it was far too fattening for you to eat it. Riddle. Me. That.

At the same rate, she (and I) can’t seem to stop eating these, even though they are belly-busting. They’re just so good! According to my mom – one of the best things I’ve ever made. If it isn’t clear in the title of this post, there’s what they consist of: a cinnamon graham cracker crust, cheesecake center, and cookie dough topping, all baked together for a glorious combination.

I got this recipe from My Baking Addiction, and I highly suggest heading over to her site for delicious recipes and beautiful photography.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
from My Baking Addiction

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

For the Cheesecake Filling:

10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Do not turn your oven off.

While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Lift the bars out by the overhang; slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature

Homemade Granola

Samantha — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:53:21 +0000

Dear QFGE,

I know it’s been a while since we really had a chance to bond. I’m sorry. It’s me, not you. My free time is spent with the gym or the couch. I’m starting to think my brain shuts off at a certain time of the night, making it virtually impossible to even think of something to say to you, let alone the lack of baking/cooking I’ve been doing.

I even totally forgot to post pictures from Easter! My sister did a fabulous job of setting up, cooking, baking, and entertaining. She made these individual parfaits with homemade granola that were out of this world. It’s now my go-to for granola.

You’d be disappointed if I told you what I had for lunch during the work week. I haven’t had my infamous arugula salad in weeks now. I drink far too much coffee throughout the day, I’ve had a huge craving to make classic chocolate chip cookies, and I think about sushi 24/7.

Oh, by the way, I turned 21 in January. Not 35, not 87. 21. The BIG 2 1. How come I act like an 87 year old sometimes? And how come I feel like I have the problems of a 35 year old? My car died yesterday (RIP Jeep Liberty, we had some prettty great memories together). I guess my mother is sick of hearing about my problems and actually gave me some really great words-of-wisdom: “You are 21, and it’s better to have to deal with problems now, than later, because they just get bigger and more expensive.” After that, we had dinner and wine.

Well put mama. So here I am. It’s after midnight on Wednesday and I am going to hold my head high. I will lease myself a new whip and realize that life ain’t that bad.

No one likes a Debbie Downer, right? They’re just no fun. Heck, why can’t we all just smile and get along? Well, QGFE, I’ll tell you why. No one is perfect. Me? No where near. But it’s little life lessons that help you learn and prepare for the next impact.

You’ll be one year old in a little over two weeks. What a year this has been! Starting a blog, running half marathons, turning 21, a trip to Vegas, two internships, a broken car. It’s been one hell of an unexpected year. Life is bumpy and sometimes takes you where you never thought you’d be. But in the end, just know that you can end each and every day roaming around the never ending world of food blogs. Haha, just kidding. That only cures 99% of problems. For the other 1%, wine will definitely do the trick!

Phew, I feel a lot better. Glad we talked, QFGE. Until next time…

_Sammy

Easy Homemade Granola
Adapted from “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking” by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
scant 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/3 cup dried cherries (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the walnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. If using, sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola, and use your hands to transfer it to an airtight container.

The granola will keep for 1 week.

Chocolate & Coffee Whole Wheat Cookies

Samantha — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:41:22 +0000

Every now and again when I come home from college I find a cookbook or, bakebook I should say, on my bed. Usually, there’s a post-it note that says “To Sam, Love Mom.” I love getting these little gifts here and there. It’s a cute reminder that she loves me… and my baking!

I came across a recipe for chocolate & coffee whole wheat cookies in one of the books. Someone, please, tell me why I wouldn’t make these? What resulted was a crispy, thin, and light oat based cookie full of chocolate and hazelnut chunks. Needless to say, I’ve eaten like 8 of them in a two day span (I like to think I’ve ran them off in the past two days as well.)

I like to think these are good for you. They do have bran, rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and hazelnuts in them. Okay, they also have butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips. But who’s counting?

I think next time, I’ll add more bran, more coffee, and less chocolate chips. I might even substitute finely chopped walnuts for the hazelnuts.

Chocolate & Coffee Whole Wheat Cookies
adapted from Chocolate: The Food and the Music

Makes 24

3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
scant 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp bran
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp strong coffee (I suggest more. I like coffee.)
2/3 cup hazelnuts (or nut of your choice), toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 large cookies sheets. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add the egg and beat well, using an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, then add in the whole wheat flour and bran. Mix in the egg mixture, then stir in the chocolate chips, oats, coffee, and nuts. Mix well, with a handheld electric mixer if you prefer.

Put 24 rounded tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving room for the cookies to spread during cooking. Transfer the cookie sheets to preheated oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.

Remove from the oven, the transfer to a cooling rack and let cool before serving.

Chewy Chunky Blondies

Samantha — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:23:47 +0000

Perhaps it’s because I am a blonde that makes me unintentionally bias toward this dessert, or perhaps it’s the chocolate chip cookie-like dough that has me hooked to making these (we all know that all dessert dough is to die for, but these blondies and these make my ultimate favorite doughs). Or it could be the warm, gooey goodness that comes out of the oven that literally melts in your mouth as all the flavors come together.

I made these blondies the night I made the fesenjan. I had been browsing through Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook (because that’s what I do when I need inspiration) and came across chewy, chunky blondies. Surprisingly, I had everything I needed in my cabinet, so I whipped these bad boys up. At first, I thought maybe the addition of heath crunches, coconut, walnuts, and, chocolate chips might be a tad bit too much, but it wasn’t. At all. It was heavenly.

I strong suggest making these. They’re super easy, quick, and you can omit any of the chips, nuts, of chunks you want. Don’t tell brownie, I think I like blondie better.

Chewy Chunky Blondies
Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

Samantha — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:43:17 +0000

I couldn’t wait to put this post up! To be honest, I’m still in the middle of frosting these bad boys. And in the middle of baking and frosting them, I cooked an awesome dinner (thanks @FifteenSpatulas!). If you couldn’t tell, I’m very much in the Valentine’s Day mood =)

I couldn’t resist making heart-shaped sugar cookies this year. They’re so cute and so easy to make. I’ve come across a ton of recipes for sugar cookies and royal icing, and I think I found my favorites. Only problem: I couldn’t find meringue powder! Anywhere. Seriously, where do I have to go to find this stuff?!

Anyway, the icing I used was a bit too liquidy to pipe, so I used the spoon method. Worked for me! Happy cookie baking to all!

Oh, and I learned how to marble the icing here. Definitely check out this blog for some neat decorating ideas.

Sugar Cookie Recipe from Everyday Occasions

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of cream of tarter
1 tsp of baking soda
1 egg

In your Kitchen Aid fitted with the paddle attachement, whip together butter and powdered sugar. Add Flour, vanilla, cream of tarter, soda, and egg. On slow, stir together ingredients just until combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and wrap it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and put it on a floured board. Be sure to flour the rolling pin, as well. Roll out dough until 1/4 inch thick.
Cut shapes. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees just until the edges begin to turn brown – baking time will depend on size and thickness of the cookie.

Royal Icing not using meringue powder

2 egg whites
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat egg whites and a little bit of the powdered sugar in a stand mixer. Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla. To make it thicker, add more powdered sugar.

Holiday Rugelach

Samantha — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:07:00 +0000

I’ve always seen these little crescent shaped cookies, but have never actually ate one, nor have I had any desire to make them. I’ve been nearly obsessed with Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook lately and came across this recipe, and since it was right in the middle of the holiday season, I figured, why not!?

Rugelach, pronounced ru-ga-la, is a crescent shaped cookie that can be custom made according to your taste bud’s preferences. The cream cheese dough can be wrapped around raisins, currants, chocolate, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cinnamon sugar, and apricot or raspberry jam – omit or add ingredients as you desire!

The recipe in Dorie’s book included currants, mini chocolate chips, jam, cinnamon sugar, and walnuts so that’s what these have in them. I was skeptical at first; how was I supposed to roll this little piece of dough around all these ingredients, but it works! These cookies have so many different tastes, but all together, they’re perfect for the holidays

Rugelach

Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the dough:

4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

2/3 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade (I used apricot jam)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds) (I used walnuts)
1/4 cup plump, moist dried currants
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

For the glaze

1 large egg
1 teaspoon cold water
2 tablespoons sugar, preferably coarse sugar

To make the dough

Let the cream cheese and butter rest on counter for 10 minutes. It should be slightly softened but cool.
Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine for 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds. Do not work the dough too long that it forms a ball on the blade.
Remove the dough from the food processor, divide into half, shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to a day. (Wrap airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)

To make the filling

Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or microwave until it liquefies. Mix sugar and cinnamon together.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)

To shape the cookies

Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar.
Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the chopped chocolate and half of the currants. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or trigangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut into quarters, then cut each quarters into 4 pieces.)
Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each triangle becomes a little crescent.
Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (The cookies can be refrigerate overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don’t defrost before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.)

Getting ready to bake

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

To glaze

Stir the egg and water together. Brush a bit of the glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden.
Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

Andddd this would be the aftermath… my mom wasn’t too thrilled when she saw her kitchen haha!

Snowball Cookies

Samantha — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 21:33:00 +0000

Every year my family makes the same Christmas cookies. And every year, we put them in the same Christmas containers. The same cookies, in the same containers. Every year. It’s a tradition and we love our tradition!

These are (I think) my favorite cookie. They’re melt in your mouth good, packed with chocolate, walnuts, and buttery goodness, and I’m positive they wouldn’t taste nearly as good if it weren’t the holiday season! They’re great too because they yield so many, so they’re perfect for giving away – which is by far the best reason to make holiday cookies I highly suggest making these, but before you get started, check your fridge and make sure you have 3 sticks of butter.

Mini Chip Snowball Cookies

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and nuts. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired. Store in airtight containers (preferably your favorite holiday container).

Macadamia Triangles aka Triangle Squares

Samantha — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:13:00 +0000

The first time I had this cookie was when Chris’s mom made them. She announced them as “triangle squares.”

“Triangle squares?” Chris asked. He was the only one who noticed what she had said was completely wrong. Instead, the rest of us were only concerned with consuming the gooey, delicious treat in front of our eyes.

Still to this day, we joke about the “triangle squares” and still to this day, I call them triangle squares. They are in fact called Macadamia Triangles, a recipe borrowed from Good Housekeeping and they are glorious.

I’ve never had macadamia nuts before having this treat, and I’m not quite sure I’d eat them by themselves, but mixed with brown sugar and a sweet pastry dough, they’re amazing. Seriously. Want to try something different? Try this.

**A food processor is required (I only mention this because I’m not sure if everyone owns a food processor. I bet a blender would work though!)

Macadamia Triangles by Good Housekeeping

Sweet Pastry Crust

1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
6 tablespoon(s) cold butter or margarine
3 tablespoon(s) cold water

Macadamia Filling

1 jar(s) (7-ounce) macadamia nuts
2/3 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 9″ by 9″ metal baking pan. Line pan with foil; grease foil.

Prepare Sweet Pastry Crust: In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor-fashion, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into flour mixture, mixing lightly with fork after each addition until dough is just moist enough to hold together. With lightly floured hand, press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan. With fork, prick dough in 1-inch intervals to prevent puffing and shrinking during baking.

Bake crust 15 to 20 minutes, until golden (crust may crack slightly during baking). Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Reset oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Prepare Macadamia Filling: Coarsely chop 1/2 cup macadamia nuts; reserve for topping. In food processor with knife blade attached, process remaining macadamia nuts with brown sugar until nuts are finely ground. Add egg and vanilla. Pulse until just combined.

With small spatula, spread macadamia filling evenly over cooled crust. Sprinkle reserved chopped macadamia nuts on top. Bake 20 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

When cool, lift foil with pastry out of pan and place on cutting board; peel foil away from sides. Cut into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 4 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half. Store at room temperature, well-wrapped, up to 3 days.