Ready for Dessert (37 page)

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted or salted butter, at room temperature

⅔ cup (140 g) packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (100 g) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed just until completely smooth and no streaks of butter remain. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until completely incorporated. Stir in the pecans.

Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a 4½ by 6-inch (11 by 15-cm) rectangle about 1 inch (3 cm) thick. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Cut the rectangle of dough lengthwise into 2 equal pieces. Cut each half crosswise into rectangles ¼ inch (6 mm) wide. Place the cookies 1 inch (3 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

STORAGE:
The dough can be refrigerated for 4 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. Shortbread is always best the day it’s baked, but these can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

VARIATIONS:
It’s become au courant to use delicate sea salt, such as
fleur de sel,
on cookies to accentuate the butter flavor. Flick a few grains onto each cookie before baking and gently press them in.

I often dip these shortbreads in chocolate. Once the cookies are cool, chop and melt 4 ounces (115 g) of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Dip one half of each cookie in the chocolate then sweep off some of the excess. Let the chocolate-dipped cookies rest on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap until the chocolate sets.

MAKES 60 COOKIES

This is the classic gingersnap: thin, crisp, with a spicy bite. For the best flavor, use very fresh spices. I grind my own cinnamon and cloves for these, and never, ever use preground black pepper. If you don’t have a pepper mill, shame on you. Go get one.

Although not a pantry staple, coarse-crystal sugar—such as Demerara or turbinado—is wonderful embedded in the surface of each snappy cookie. I find it pretty indispensable for these cookies and use it for sprinkling onto many different baked goods before they go into the oven, so I always keep a tub of it in my kitchen cabinet.

3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour

2½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) mild molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Coarse-crystal or granulated sugar, for coating the cookies

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and cloves.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed just until smooth. Mix in the molasses and vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until well combined and no streaks of butter remain.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 8 inches (20 cm) long and 1½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until they’re firm enough to slice, about 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Pour some coarse-crystal or granulated sugar into a small bowl.

Slice the chilled dough into disks ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick. Press one flat side of each disk firmly in the coarse-crystal sugar. Place the cookies, sugared side up, 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are uniformly deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

STORAGE:
The dough logs will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. The baked ginger-snaps will keep well, stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

MAKES ABOUT 20 COOKIES

The name may lead you to think these are crisp cookies, but they’re not. They are snappy in another way—there are plenty of spices in the batter, plus a generous helping of candied ginger, making them deserving of the
snap
moniker. They’re good on their own, but with such a soft, chewy texture, I had a hunch that they would make dynamite ice cream sandwiches, so I filled a few with
Tangy Lemon Frozen Yogurt
and popped them in the freezer. The next day, when I pulled a sandwich out of the freezer and took a bite, I stopped dead in my tracks because I was so stunned: it was the best ice cream sandwich I’ve ever had.

2¼ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2½ teaspoons plus a big pinch ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (215 g) packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup (75 g) unsweetened applesauce

⅓ cup (80 ml) mild molasses

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

½ cup (50 g) finely chopped
Candied Ginger

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, 2½ teaspoons cinnamon, the ginger, cloves, and pepper.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the brown sugar, applesauce, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg whites and beat 1 minute. With the mixer running on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 1 minute more. Stir in the candied ginger. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and big pinch of cinnamon.

Using two spoons or a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop, drop heaping tablespoons of dough (about the size of an unshelled walnut) a few at a time into the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Use your hands to form the dough into balls and coat them heavily with the cinnamon sugar. They’ll be sticky, which is normal, and don’t worry if they’re not perfectly round. Place the balls at least 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, until the cookies feel just barely set in the centers, about 13 minutes. If they puff a lot during baking, flatten the tops very gently with a spatula, just enough so they’re no longer rounded.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

STORAGE:
The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for 2 months. The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

VARIATION:
If you like extrachewy cookies, midway during baking, press each cookie firmly with a flat spatula so they are about ½ inch (1.5 cm) high, then continue baking.

MAKES ABOUT 25 COOKIES

My first experience making Swiss cookies was less than optimal. A friend had given me his mother’s recipe for Basler
leckerle,
a spiced almond cookie swathed with a kirsch glaze. They’re meant to be kept in a tin for 6 months before eating, during which time they supposedly soften up and become toothsome delights. To make a six-month story short, I was skeptical when I plucked one of the cookies out of the tin. Then I bit down and almost lost a tooth they were so hard. Since then, I’ve avoided Swiss cookies.

But, some time later, at Stohrer bakery on the rue Montorgeuil in Paris, I tasted the lovely
zimtsterne,
star-shaped cinnamon-almond cookies of Swiss origin that are made only around the holidays, and fell in love. I was prompted to come up with a recipe that I could have year-round—as well as one that wouldn’t require a trip to the dentist. I couldn’t find a cookie cutter in the traditional
zimtsterne
shape of a six-point star in France where I live, so a friend brought me one from New York, which I guess makes this Swiss cookie a star of international proportions.

COOKIES

3 cups (240 g) sliced almonds, preferably unblanched

1 cup (140 g) powdered sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

1 large egg white

GLAZE

1⅓ cups (175 g) powdered sugar, or more if needed

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon kirsch or other clear brandy or eau-de-vie, or freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

To make the cookies, in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or in a blender, pulverize the almonds, 1 cup (140 g) powdered sugar, the cinnamon, and salt until the almonds are very finely ground. If using a food processor, add the honey and egg white and process until the mixture is smooth. If it’s dry and cracking, add a tiny bit of water and process until the dough comes together. If using a blender, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the honey and egg white and stir until the dough begins to come together, then knead by hand until smooth.

Dust a work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the dough ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick (no thinner), dusting the work surface with just enough powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking. With a 6-point star cookie cutter about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter (see Tip), cut out stars, and arrange them, evenly spaced, on the prepared baking sheet. Reroll the dough scraps, cut out as many cookies as you can, and place them on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.

Bake, rotating the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned, about 12 minutes. They should be soft; don’t overbake them. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, mix together the 1⅓ cups (175 g) powdered sugar and the egg white until smooth, then mix in the kirsch. The glaze should be quite thick, opaque, and almost hard to stir. If necessary, stir in additional powdered sugar.

Spread glaze on the surface of each cookie. Sweep off some of the excess, but leave a layer just thick enough so that you can’t see the cookie through it. Let the cookies rest until the glaze is completely dry.

STORAGE:
These cookies will keep for at least 3 months in an airtight container.

MAKES ABOUT 26 COOKIES

I was doing a cooking demonstration in health-conscious Los Angeles, and when I melted the half-stick of butter that this recipe calls for—a modest amount by my standards—a woman near the front row panicked and exclaimed, “Oh my God! Look at all that butter he’s using!”

I’m not sure these cookies fall into the “healthy” category, but with just a half-stick of butter for nearly 2 dozen cookies, I’d say you shouldn’t feel all that guilty about indulging in one—or maybe two, for those of you who really want to live on the edge.