PetiteFoodie’s Holiday Cookie Adventures – Part 2

January 3, 2011 at 12:24 AM | Posted in Cookies, Recipes | Leave a comment
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Sooo…what mishaps happened on this adventure? No mishaps, just good cookie adventure with an *ahem* “fun” twist. Let me warn you, some of these cookies are a bit PG-rated so please cover the youngin’s eyes!

Of course, anything goes with PetiteFoodie’s Holiday Cookie Adventures! Last time, in my Holiday Cookie Adventures, Grease Monkey and I made Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies.

This time, Vegemite Girl joined me in a cookie adventure and decided to make 2 kinds of cookies. The first cookie is a buttery shortbread. She was inspired to make this since one of her coworkers brought shortbread to the office and she was craving for some. Since the shortbread cookie was short and quick, we decided to make another cookie with a citrus twist.

The first cookie we started making is the Lemon Wreath Cookies. Initially the cookies were made into shape of wreaths. After making the first baking sheet of wreath cookies, the wreaths started taking other forms. We started making a tray of other “creative” shaped cookies. Despite the funny shapes, these cookies have a buttery and lemony base. With the lemon glaze, the sweet and tartness of the cookie balances out with the lemony fragrance of the cookie.

 

(1) Pre-baked Lemon Wreaths (2) Pre-baked "Other" shaped cookies (3) Baked Lemon Cookies pre-glazed (4) Baked Lemon Cookies with lemon glaze

Lemon Wreath Cookies

Makes 6 dozen. Adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • FOR THE GLAZE
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 7 to 8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white nonpareils, for sprinkling

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cookies: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Pulse sugar and zest in a food processor until combined, about 2 minutes.
  2. Beat sugar-zest mixture and butter in a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until combined.
  3. Scoop 1 tablespoon dough (or use a 11/8-inch ice cream scoop), and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 4-inch rope. Bring ends together, overlapping slightly, and press together to form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer rings to parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart, as you work. Bake until pale golden on the bottoms and around the edges, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.
  4. Make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Dip the top side of each cookie into glaze, letting excess drip off. Return cookies to wire racks, glaze side up, and sprinkle with nonpareils. Let dry completely.

The second cookie that we made was Irish Butter Shortbread. This cookie recipe is simple and requires only 3 ingredients! Yep, you heard right, 3 ingredients! The shortbread was delicious, not too sweet and definitely melt-in-your mouth! It also tastes really yummy with the lemon glaze that I made for the Lemon Wreaths recipe.

Melt-in-your-mouth Shortbread

 

Irish Butter Shortbread

Makes 3 dozen. Adapted from Martha Stewart Show.

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Irish unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low, slowly add flour. Continue mixing until dough comes together to form a ball.
  3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface; roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thickness, dusting rolling pin with flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Using a 2 1/4-inch round, fluted cutter, cut out dough. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather up any scraps, gently re-roll, and repeat cutting process. Take care not to overwork dough.
  4. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until shortbread just begins to turn golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Shortbread may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Happy Baking everyone!

PetiteFoodie’s Holiday Cookie Adventures – Part 1

December 24, 2010 at 9:30 PM | Posted in Cookies, Recipes | 1 Comment
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Ah…the days before Christmas. It’s when Superstore is open for 24 hours. Shoppers make their last minute shopping for their groceries and other items. Well, that’s what Grease Monkey and I did when we had our Holiday Cookie Adventure. He went shopping for ingredients at the last minute and forgot the ginger! Oh noes!
Poor dude had to drive back to Superstore to get a ginger root around past midnight and the cashier thought that he was nuts for buying a ginger root that cost around less than 15 cents! :) <3 you for joining me in my Cookie adventure!

Hey anything goes with PetiteFoodie’s Cookie Adventures! (That’s why it’s divided into another part because I did another Cookie Adventure!)

The cookie that we made on this Holiday Cookie Adventure is the Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies. This recipe was given to me by a coworker that swears that this cookie is one of her family’s favorites. I hope that this will become one of yours too. These chewy cookies are chewy with a nice hit of ginger and molasses. The semi sweet chocolate provided a chocolaty sweetness to the gingerbread cookie.

Here are some shots of the Cookie Adventure!

PetiteFoodie hard at work! :)

 

From left clockwise: (1) Mixing all the dry ingredients (2) Creaming the sugar and molasses (3) Mixing the dry ingredients (4) After the mixing

(1) Cookies before baking (2) Cookies after baking (with pasta sauce on the side :) ) (3) Cookies in a sexy shot

 

Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

Makes 2 dozen

  • 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

 

  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
  3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
  4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Cookies.

Arepa, Arepa, Arepa!

November 30, 2009 at 8:41 PM | Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment
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Comfort foods are good for the soul. It’s the kind of food that makes you feel happy, brings back memories or even transports you back to the good ol’ days. A few of my favorite comfort foods are congee, hor fun (thick flat rice noodle – any style), Chinese style roasted duck, and arepas. And the list goes on….Yum yum…

The arepa was introduced to me by my friend from Venezuela. They are now among my favorite foods and I love to make and eat them from time to time.

Arepas are cornmeal patties that are eaten in Venezuela. They are quick to make, healthy and can be eaten at any time of the day. As for the fillings, you can put meat, eggs, tomatoes, salad, cheese, shrimp, or fish.

The arepas that I made are Latin-inspired crab salad arepas and a ham and feta cheese (in place of queso fresco) arepas. The crab salad arepa is tasty, zesty, creamy, fresh and beautiful. The ham and cheese arepa is simple and delicious.

Crab Salad Arepa - Creamy, refreshing and delicious!

Ham and Cheese Arepa - Simple and Delicious! (Sorry for the dirty plate, just finished the crab salad arepa before plating this one.)

Arepa Recipe (Makes 6 arepas)

2 cups Harina P.A.N Flour
2 cups of water
A pinch of salt

1. Put 2 cups of Harina flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt and mix through with dry clean hands.

2. Measure 2 cups of warm water and pour onto flour.

3. Knead together the flour and water with your hands until the mixture is thoroughly blended and there are no grainy lumps.

4. If the is too soggy and sticks to your fingers add more flour. If it is too dry add water. The perfect dough should roll easily into a large ball without cracking.

5. Break off a fistful of the dough and roll it into a ball in your hands. Then pat it and turn it in your hands until its about half an inch thick and about 3-4 inches across. It should have the classic flying saucer shape now.

6. Make the rest of the arepas you want to cook. If any dough is left over wrap it in plastic – to keep in the moisture – and place in fridge. It will keep for three to four days.

7. Heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan or griddle and when hot add the arepas, as many as will comfortably fit in the pan. The idea is to give the arepas a crunchy exterior (“una cara”, literally a face, as they say in Venezuela) so don’t turn the heat up too high. When the arepas are brown on one side turn them over. The whole process should not take longer than 10 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

9. When arepas have been browned, reduce oven to 200 degrees, place arepas on a baking tray at the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes.

10. Make an incision in the arepa – slicing through the middle but not going all the way – and then open it up like a pocket for the filling.

Serve with any kind of filling and enjoy!

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