Category: Desserts

Kitchen Sink Cookies

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This recipe appeared in Everyday Food back in March 2008, and it’s been my go-to for an everything cookie. In fact, I use it for day trips and outings instead of the sugary granola bars from the store (I figure they are about the same nutrition value–if not better). I’ve revised it a bit, but I’ll post both the original and my substitutions. I’ve also been learning how to adjust to high altitude, so I’ll put the variations in. For high altitude, you’re also supposed to add more liquid, but I’m not sure where here–I haven’t tried adding another egg. How I’ve altered it here works for 4500 feet above sea level. Anyway, this isn’t a decadent cookie, necessarily; it’s just a great kind-of healthier cookie to have in the repertoire.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

2 1/2 c. flour (I use 1 c. whole wheat + 1 1/2 c. white)
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder (3/4 t. if high altitude)
1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. butter, softened (I use 12 T.–less greasy)
1 c. packed brown sugar (use 2 T. less if high altitude)
1 1/2 t. light corn syrup
1 T. pure vanilla
2 large eggs
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. raisins (or craisins, dried cherries or white chocolate chips)
1/2 c. chopped pecans (toast them first, and they’re better)
1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (or coconut–I do white chocolate, chocolate, coconut and pecans–it’s a great cookie)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined.

4. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chunks, raisins, pecans, and oats.

5. Drop 2-inch balls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough balls slightly. Bake 12-16 minute, or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through.

6. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Stores at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.)

Chewy Brownies (that taste like Ghirardelli box mix, but better)

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atk-brownie
This is the recipe I referenced under the Baked Brownie. I was pleased to see that ATK acknowledged that there IS something to a box brownie mix, especially Ghirardelli’s. In order to recreate the chewy texture, Andrea Geary at ATK created this recipe (published in the Best of ATK 2011 Annual), and as I mentioned before, it gets high marks (my oldest son tonight told me that if there was the best brownie restaurant in the whole world, and he was eating there, this brownie would still be better. I would like to go to that best brownie restaurant in the world. Sounds like heaven). You may have the shock I did when I saw how much sugar goes into it, but I guess the sugar is, in part, what makes the brownie so distinctive and so much like a box!

Chewy Brownies (better than Ghirardelli box mix)

1/3 c. dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2 t. instant espresso (optional)
1/2 c. plus 2 T. boiling water
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c. plus 2 T. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 t. salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with a foil sling, lightly coat with vegetable oil spray, and set aside (I use Reynold’s nonstick aluminum foil and I love it).

2. Whisk the cocoa powder, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil. (The mixture may look curdled.) Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Using the foil overhang, lift the brownies from the pan. Return the brownies to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and  serve. (The brownies can be stored in an airtight contained at room temperature for up to 4 days.)

The Baked Brownie

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I picked up the most lovely cookbook three years ago at my Lincoln library, checked it out about 5 times, and finally decided to buy it. It’s called Baked, and I’ve now seen it at Williams-Sonoma. It’s from a small bakery in Brooklyn, and it’s cover claims that America’s Test Kitchen rated it’s brownie the best in America. BEST. Don’t you have to buy a book that says that?

So, I’ve made the Baked Brownie, and it is decadent and lovely. But, I had a bake-off, using the exact same chocolate, with the Baked brownie and three others, one from America’s Test Kitchen, a box mix, and a Joy of Cooking recipe that I love. Well, 7 out of 8 votes went to America’s Test Kitchen. So for what it’s worth, I’ll post that recipe as well (when I can get to it!). I should note, though, that it’s essential to use good chocolate. I don’t use Baker’s anymore–I usually buy a bulk amount of Guittard, Ghiradelli, or if I can find it, Caillebaut. Candy stores (J.A.R. in R.I., Funfinity in Provo, Orson Gygi’s in Salt Lake) sell these in large amounts, which makes the price per oz. better than Baker’s, and then you can use it over the course of several months (or split it with a friend). I also try to get my loving relatives to bring me Trader Joe’s 1 lb. bars of dark chocolate, which I think are pretty grand. That’s what I’ve been making these with lately.

The Baked Brownie

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 T. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 oz. dark chocolate, 60-72% (this is a lot!)
1 c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 t. instant espresso powder (I leave this out ’cause I never have any)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature (which I accomplish by placing the eggs in a warm bowl of water before doing anything else so they can warm while I prepare the rest of the ingredients)
2 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. (And if you can resist, they taste better 24 hours after baking.)

Chocolate-Cherry Fudge Bars

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I come back to this recipe every February: chocolate, cherries, pink. Nice. And a real winner  if you’re a fan of marachino cherries and fudginess, which I

Quite festive, n'est-ce pas?

certainly am on both accounts.  I’ve tried substituting cocoa powder for the baking chocolate, and the baking chocolate comes out better. It’s also important not to overbake this recipe, or it will come out more cakey than fudgy. I pulled it from a collection of Kraft recipes years ago. I’m leaving out all the branding, but I’m sure if you use all Kraft products, the brownies will taste, umm, Krafty.

Chocolate-Cherry Fudge Bars

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 pkg. (small–4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding dry mix (1/2 c.)
3/4 c. maraschino cherries, divided
7 T. maraschino cherry juice, divided
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 13×9″ baking pan with foil, ends extending over the side of the pans. Spray foil with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Heat chocolate and butter in small saucepan (or microwave in a bowl in 30 second increments) until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate has also melted. Add sugar and mix well. Blendin eggs and vanilla. Add flour and dry pudding mix. Combine. Stir in 1/2 c. of the chopped cherries and 5 T. (1/3 c.) of the cherry juice. Spread into the prepared pan.

3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Place pan on a wire rack to cool.

4. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and remaining cherry juice until well blended. Drizzle over cooled dessert [I find this works best by dipping a fork into the glaze and quickly drizzling across the top of the brownies, moving from left to right; speed’s the key]. Top with remaining 1/4 c. cherries. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan before cutting into bars. Store leftovers in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Note: If using a glass baking dish, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees.

Mint Chocolate-Covered Cookies

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This is my favorite Christmas cookie. I have made it the last three years to pass out to friends, but it’s actually quite difficult to hand them all away (yet a healthy exercise in self-discipline). I think they are wonderful. I hope someone else enjoys this recipe as well. This recipe comes from the December 2007 Everyday Food.

Mint Chocolate-Covered Cookies

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. salt
6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/2 t. pure vanilla
12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 t. pure peppermint extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, cocoa, powder and 1/4 t. salt together in a medium bowl.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined.

3. Form balls of dough (each equal to 1 t.), and place on two baking sheets, about 2″ apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in water, and flatten balls into 1 1/2″ rounds (about 1/4″ thick). Bake until slightly firm to the touch, 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Make chocolate coating: Place chocolate, peppermint extract, and remaining 1/8 t. salt in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2-3 minutes; remove from heat. [Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each zap.]

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set each cookie across the tines of a fork, dunk in chocolate, then tap underside of fork on side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

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I clipped this recipe from last year’s December Living magazine. I went to make them last January, and there was no eggnog left on Stop n Shop’s

Martha's photo

shelves (and I wasn’t up to mixing some myself), so it was a must-do this year. And I’m glad I did. They taste probably how you’d imagine an eggnog cheesecake to taste. Divine. This may only be of use for next year, but if there’s still some eggnog left in your market, you may want to snag it . . .

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Makes 18

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pan
  • 12 graham crackers, finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup eggnog
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brandy
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for dusting
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Stir together graham crackers, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter. Press into bottom of pan. Bake until crust is just brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the eggs, yolk, eggnog, flour, brandy, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt; beat until smooth. Pour filling over crust. Set pan in a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of baking pan. Bake until just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove baking pan from water bath, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  3. Cut into 1 1/2-by-3-inch bars. Lightly dust tops of bars with freshly grated nutmeg just before serving. You can refrigerate these bars for up to 5 days (like they would last that long!).


Walnut and Brown Sugar Rugelach

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This cookie was by far the best Christmas cookie I made last year, so I thought I’d share. The ingredients seem humble, but they come together

Also Martha's Picture

terrifically. I would definitely recommend this as a cookie to pass out to friends.

Walnut and Brown Sugar Rugelach

Makes 32

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
  1. In a food processor, blend butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined. Add flour, and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw before baking).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine egg with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash.
  3. Working with one disk at a time, place dough on lightly floured parchment paper, and roll out into an 11-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick), dusting lightly with flour as needed. Using a large dinner plate as a guide, cut around dough to make a perfect circle; trim off and discard scraps. Brush circles with egg wash; dividing evenly, sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar.
  4. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 equal triangles. Starting from the wide end, roll up each triangle of dough; place on lined baking sheets, seam side down. Brush rolls with egg wash.
  5. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.


Mexican Wedding Cakes

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This recipe comes from Everyday Food–I clipped it a few years ago, and my kids gave them high marks, probably because they are covered in

Martha's Picture, not mine

powdered sugar. Rex took them into his department today, and they got great reviews again. I just picked up the new Test Kitchen Cookie Magazine, which calls these Russian Tea Cakes and the main differences are that it has you toast your nuts first, and it has less than half the amount of pecans and excludes the cinnamon. The Test Kitchen also suggests rolling the cakes in powdered sugar once when the cookies are warm, and then again when they have cooled. Martha’s cookie works great, and I like the cinnamon (perhaps that’s the difference between the Mexican and the Russian version?). At any rate, you may see these as Christmas gifts this year . . .

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Makes 24 cookies

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

    FOR THE GARNISH

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  1. In a food processor, pulse pecans, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal; add butter and pulse until a dough forms [I don’t have a large cuisinart, so I pulsed the pecans, and then added the other dry, whisked, then cut in the butter like you would a pie dough, and stirred it together. Make sure the butter is incorporated well; a large clump of butter will cause misshapen cookies]. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap tightly in plastic; refrigerate until firm, 30 to 60 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 level tablespoon (I just used a cookie scoop). Space 1 1/2 inches apart on two large baking sheets. Bake, switching sheets from top to bottom halfway through, until cookies are just golden around edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
  3. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a rack to cool completely. Place confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. Roll cookies in sugar twice to coat thoroughly, tapping off excess.


Apple Pecan Kuchen

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A friend of mine came over on Halloween and we had an Autumn cooking party.  We made butternut squash soup,Tennessee pumpkin bread, apple pockets and Apple Pecan Kuchen.  This recipe is from the Apple Lovers Cookbook, which I bought at an orchard shop after apple picking one year because I LOVE apples.  So, basically, this cookbook was made for me.

This would be a perfect Thanksgiving dessert.  It is very rich and tastes kind of like a blend of apple and pecan pies, with a little cake thrown in.

Apple Pecan Kuchen

3/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cloves

1/2 C. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 T. flour
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. melted butter
2 C. peeled, sliced apples

3 T. butter
4 T. honey
3/4 C. chopped pecans

Cream together sugar and shortening.  Add egg and mix well.  Stir in milk.  Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture until smooth.  Spread half of the batter in a greased 9″ square baking dish.

Mix together brown sugar, 2 T. flour, 1 t. cinnamon and 2 T. melted butter.  Sprinkle over batter; then arrange sliced apples over crumbs.  Cover with remaining batter.

Mix together 3 T. butter, honey and pecans.  Sprinkle over top layer.

Bake in oven at 375, 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Technically makes 9 servings, but is so rich, you can probably get 12-18 servings.

Homemade Mint Milano Cookies

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Mint Milano 2So, Martha published this recipe in September’s Everyday Food, and it’s delightful. Not only are Pepperidge Farm’s Mint Milano cookies a favorite around here, it’s just fantastic to make 20+ of them at a time (I’m sure you could freeze the extras if this doesn’t excite you). I’ve made them twice now, and they’ve all disappeared within 2 hours, even with doubling the recipe.

A tip: I had better results not chilling the dough before piping them (I wanted them to look flatter, like Pepperidge Farms’, and chilling them made mine too stiff; they didn’t spread at all), and I flattened them slightly with the back of a spatula before baking.  I also just added 1/2 t. peppermint extract to the chocolate, rather than making the icing. This worked a lot better: the cookies set up easier, the taste was just as great,  and I forewent a little unnecessary sugar.

Homemade Mint Milano Cookies

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt [I used table]
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on high, scraping down bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add egg and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Transfer dough to a quart-size zip-top bag; with scissors, snip a 3/4-inch hole in one corner (or use a pastry bag with a plain tip). Pipe 54 cookies (3/4 by 2 inches), 1/2 inch apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, 20 minutes.
  2. Bake until cookies are light golden at edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer immediately to wire racks and let cool.
  3. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, 2 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. (Alternatively, melt chocolate in microwave at 30 second intervals.) In another medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, peppermint extract, and 4 teaspoons water [I didn’t do this–I just added the extract to the chocolate–I recommend!]. With a small offset spatula or table knife, spread chocolate on flat side of half the cookies and mint glaze on the other half. Sandwich cookie halves together.

Martha’s Hint on piping the cookies: Twist and squeeze the bag so that the batter is in one corner. Snip an opening, then squeeze out excess air. To pipe, hold bag at an angle to sheet with one hand and apply pressure from top with the other.