Bacon Maple Shortbread

Shortbread has to be one of my favourite cookies for the holidays and you can be sure that there will be several different kinds on my holiday cookie platter! Not only is it melt in your mouth buttery delicious but it is also super easy to make! One of my favourite things about shortbread is that it's so easy to add flavours to it and I always have fun dreaming up new flavour combinations. This year I had a new idea for shortbread and it was to add one of my all time favourite foods, bacon! When I was a kid I accidentally discovered that adding maple syrup to the pan when cooking bacon made for a dreamy combination of sweet and savoury and I could not resist using that combo in the bacon shortbread. The recipe for this shortbread is a pretty basic shortbread recipe with the addition of the bacon and swapping out the sugar for maple syrup and of course I needed to add a bit more flour to compensate for the liquid in the syrup. I think that I have found a new favourite shortbread! This maple bacon shortbread is a fabulous combination of sweet and savoury and they simply melt away in your mouth!

Next I am thinking that a chocolate dipped bacon shortbread is in order!

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Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

This year I started my holiday baking with a different take on my favourite cookie from last year, the chocolate and maraschino cherry shortbread cookies, except that this time I used the same cherry and chocolate flavour combo in chocolate chip cookies! You really just cannot go wrong with chocolate chip cookies and throwing cherries into the mix will only make things better since the chocolate and cherry combo is a fabulous one! One of the best things about homemade chocolate chip cookies, other than the fact that they are so ridiculously addictively good, is that they are so easy to make. You literally just need to spend about 5 minutes combining ingredients and then you throw them in the oven. The hardest part about making them is waiting for them to finish baking, and that 10 minutes of bake time will seem like an eternity as your kitchen starts to fill up with the aroma of fresh baked cookies, and then you have to wait for them to cool, but then again that burnt tongue might just be worth it! For these maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies you will also have to chop up some cherries but that only takes a few more minutes and it is definitely worth the effort!

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Holiday Cookie Guide

I can't believe that it's already December and that means that it is time to start thinking about Holiday cookie baking! You can never have too many cookies over the holidays whether for entertaining, giving them away as gifts or even just to snack on yourself. It's always nice to have a variety of cookies on your platter so that everyone can find something they like and perhaps even try some new ones! I have gathered a few of my favourite holiday cookies here to share with you and I will also be trying a some new ones over the coming days!

Although some cookies, like chocolate chip cookies, shouldn't be made until a few days ahead of time others, like shortbread and fruit cakes, will keep for weeks at room temperature and months in the freezer so you can plan accordingly to ensure that you are not swamped at the last minute with cookie baking. It's time to get your baking on!

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Fudgy Rolo Brownie Cookies

This weekend I visited a friend that is totally into the chocolate and caramel combo, especially rolos, and it was the perfect excuse to bake something chocolaty and caramel-y! After going through my Recipes to Try pinboard and my bookmarks I decided that these decadently delicious sounding caramel rolo fudge brownie cookies from Roxana's Home Baking were definitely the way to go. I mean you really cannot go wrong with brownies, fudge, chocolate, caramel and rolos and combining them all together could only be insanely good! These rolo brownie cookies are really easy to make and the only real catch is that the cookie 'dough' is more of a brownie 'batter' so you need to chill it until you can work with it.

If you are a fan of brownies, chocolate and caramel then you have to try these cookies! I certainly enjoy them a lot, ok, ok, maybe a little too much! Only half of the cookies went missing in action while I photographed them! Yes, my poor friend only got half a batch, but that just means that I will have to make things up by making another batch soon!

Tip: Throw these cookies into the microwave for 8 or so seconds to just melt the large chunks of caramel before devouring them.

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Chocolate Almond Swirl Cookies

I’m a little behind schedule here since I’m just now telling you about Christmas cookies, but better late than never. I was out of town for a birthday party right before Christmas, then Christmas happened, and so this post didn’t find itself ready until today. Swirl-shaped cookies became my theme for this year. As I started looking through files of cookie recipes and books full of cookies, I remembered a cookie I hadn’t baked for years that was kind of like a cinnamon roll in cookie form. With that shape in mind, I pulled every rolled up, spiral cookie option I found. This chocolate almond number was from the December 2004 issue of Living magazine. The recipe isn’t available online, so I’ll include it below. You do have to make two types of dough and roll them both out, there is some waiting while dough chills here and there, but layering the dough and forming the spiral is easier than you might think. The lighter, almond dough is made with ground, toasted, blanched almonds and almond paste, and it smells so lovely as it’s mixed you know it’s going to make an excellent cookie rolled up with chocolate dough. This was one of those treasures from the files that makes me happy I’m such a pack rat about keeping all those old recipes.

I set about making the almond dough first, but both need to be made and chilled before proceeding. For the almond dough, blanched almonds were toasted and allowed to cool. In a food processor, sugar, almond paste, flour, and salt were pulsed. The toasted nuts were added, and the mixture was processed until finely ground. Last, butter, eggs, and vanilla were added and pulsed to combine. The dough was wrapped in plastic and chilled overnight. For the chocolate dough, butter and sugar were creamed in a stand mixer. Eggs were added followed by milk, flour, and cocoa powder. The finished dough was wrapped in plastic and chilled overnight as well. Once both doughs are chilled, they needed to be rolled out on parchment paper. You should start with the chocolate dough and roll it to fit on the back side of your largest baking sheet that will fit in your refrigerator. Just slide the parchment onto the back of the baking sheet after the dough is rolled, and then refrigerate it while rolling the almond dough. The almond dough should also be rolled on a sheet of parchment to just slightly smaller than the chocolate dough. Next, the chocolate dough should be placed on your work surface and brushed with egg white, and the almond dough is transferred to the top of the chocolate. I didn’t have great luck with this. The almond dough fell apart as I tried to place it on top. The good news is that it doesn’t matter. You can move the almond dough around in pieces and fill any blank areas as needed. Then, sprinkle the almond dough with flour and roll the layered doughs together into a larger rectangle about 11 x 24 inches or so. Starting on a short side, the layers are then rolled into a spiral, and egg white is brushed on to seal. The rolled dough should be chilled in the freezer before slicing and baking.

The swirl shape makes a festive cookie and combines two great flavors in every bite. It’s also handy to be able to slice and bake a few cookies at a time if you’d like since the dough can remain in the freezer. I liked this spiral-shaped cookie theme, and now I’ll be looking for more cookies like this. I hope you’re all having a great holiday season, and Happy New Year to you all!

Chocolate Almond Swirl Cookies
from Living December 2004

Almond dough:
1 cup whole blanched almonds (5 ounces)
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup almond paste (7 ounces)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 egg white

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast blanched almonds until just browned, about 13-15 minutes. Shake pan from time to time during toasting to turn the nuts. Allow nuts to cool.

-In a food processor, pulse sugar, almond paste, flour, and salt until very fine. Add toasted almonds and process until finely ground. Add butter, eggs, and vanilla and pulse until combined. Wrap almond dough in a plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to a day.

-To make the chocolate dough, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer. Mix until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and mix to combine, and then add the vanilla and milk and incorporate. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a day.

-Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the back side of a baking sheet. Place the parchment on a work surface and sprinkle with flour. Place the chilled chocolate dough on the floured parchment. Dust the dough with flour, dust a rolling pin with flour, and roll the chocolate dough to a large rectangle to just fit on the back of a baking sheet. Slide the parchment paper with dough onto the back of the baking sheet and refrigerate while rolling the almond dough.

-Repeat the process of cutting a large piece of parchment paper and sprinkling it with flour. Place the almond dough on the floured parchment and dust the dough with flour. The almond dough is particularly sticky, so add flour as needed while rolling it into a large rectangle. The almond dough rectangle should be a couple of inches smaller than the chocolate dough rectangle. Remove the chocolate dough from the refrigerator and brush the top of it with egg white. Turn the almond dough onto the chocolate and remove the parchment from the almond dough. If the almond dough breaks during transfer, it’s not a problem. The dough can moved into place in pieces and patched as needed. Then, sprinkle the almond dough with flour and roll the two layers together into a larger rectangle about 11 x 24 inches or so. If you’d like a neater starting edge, trim a short side of the dough where you will start rolling.

-Begin rolling the dough from a short side and continue to form a dough log. Brush more egg white on the chocolate dough to seal the closing edge. Wrap the rolled dough in parchment paper and chill in the freezer for about an hour and a half before baking. -Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats. Using a serrated knife, slice the rolled dough into 1/4 inch rounds. Rotate the dough after each cut to keep an even shape. Transfer cookie slices to baking sheets and bake until just set, about 18-20 minutes. Cool on racks and devour unless you plan to share with Santa.

Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread has to be one of my favourite holiday cookies, I mean it is so easy to make and that melt in your mouth buttery goodness is almost impossible to resist! Although plain shortbread is amazing you can fill it with pretty much anything from simple to gourmet and from sweet to savoury even. Taking a queue from my candied orange peel shortbread I had been wanting to try a festive version with bright red maraschino cherries, though instead of coating them with chocolate this time I was going to add the chocolate to the cookies along with the cherries. I was however a little torn between whether to use white or dark chocolate as white chocolate seemed more festive but dark chocolate goes so well with cherries. In the end the easiest solution was to make a batch of both and besides you can't have too much shortbread.

The chocolate and maraschino cherry shortbread cookies did not disappoint! I was quite pleased at how the red from the cherries swirled into the cookie dough and both the white and dark chocolate versions turned out amazingly well!

Read the recipe »

Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Cookies

In addition to baking my favourite holiday cookies every year I like to try some new ones and top on my list for this year was some peppermint white chocolate chip cookies. White chocolate chunk and macadamia nut cookies have to be one of my all time favourite cookies and I was thinking that it would be great to take a festive spin on them and use peppermint instead of the macadamia nuts. For the recipe I went with my usual white chocolate chunk and macadamia nut cookie recipe and replaced the macadamia nuts with crush peppermint candy canes or in this case peppermint candies. These chocolate chip cookies turn out nice and crisp on the edges but oh so soft and melt in your mouth on the inside! The crushed peppermint candy added and amazing peppermint flavour along with a rather pleasant crunch. I will definitely be adding these peppermint white chocolate chip cookies to my regular holiday rotation! You will have to excuse me while I go a place another batch into the oven.

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Dark Chocolate Shortbread with Fleur de Sel

After making two savoury shortbreads on my weekend of shortbread baking madness it was time for some sweet ones starting with the classic plain shortbread which is always a favourite. Next however it was time for something more interesting and I was thinking that a chocolate shortbread would be nice. I figured that there were two main ways that chocolate shortbread could be done, either by making them all chocolate of by making them more chocolate chip cookie like and I was immediately taken with the idea of a light coloured shortbread filled with chunks of solid dark chocolate. Of course I opted to use a solid block of dark chocolate rather than chips and I just shaved off small pieces for use in the shortbread. The dark chocolate shortbread would be amazing just like that but I have been into the idea of combining sweet and savoury and the addition of a touch of salt to an otherwise sweet dish can be really amazing so I added some fleur de sel to the shortbread.

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Gorgonzola and Pistachio Shortbread

With gourmet shortbread on my mind, I went on a shortbread making marathon this past weekend that will more than fulfill my holiday needs! After the success of the stilton and rosemary shortbread I wanted to try another savoury one and since I am such a big fan of blue cheeses, the gorgonzola and pistachio shortbread that I saw on The Coach House Shortbread Company was calling to me. I figured that a younger gorgonzola dolce would be perfect for the shortbread as it is softer and creamier than fully aged gorgonzola and thus it would cream into the butter more easily. Its mellower flavour would also help ensure that those that are not big fans of blue cheese would be able to enjoy the shortbread as well. The blue cheese and gorgonzola flavour combo is one that I always enjoy and it worked particularly well in this savoury shortbread! The touch of lemon zest helps keep things a little brighter and a hint of heat from cayenne round things out in these cookies. This shortbread would find a perfect home on a party platter filled with things like meats, cheeses, fruits, dips and spreads for your holiday entertaining.

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Stilton and Rosemary Shortbread

Shortbread has to be one of my favourite holiday cookies! It is so easy to make and with its crispy outside and melt in your mouth buttery good inside, they are almost impossible to resist. I recently read an article in the newspaper about a local company making shortbread, The Coach House Shortbread Company, where they mentioned that they make savoury shortbreads in addition to sweet ones! I had never even thought about the possibility of a savoury shortbread and I knew that I would have to try some as soon as I heard the idea!

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Almond Crescent Cookies

It is time to get back to some holiday baking and no Christmas with my family would be complete without a couple of batches of almond crescent cookies. These crescent cookies are basically a short bread cookie, which is nice and easy to make, with chunks of almonds mixed in and they are coated with a dusting of snow like icing sugar. As with most shortbread cookies, these ones are nice a crispy on the outside and all buttery and good on the inside, seemingly melting in your mouth. The almond flavour really comes through and the chunks of almonds that appear as the cookie melts away are like finding little crunchy gems as you go. You could easily replace the almonds with any other nut and pecans are really good but I find that I keep coming back to these almond crescent moons that my mother always makes.

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Snickerdoodles

December is here and that means that the holiday baking season is now upon us! I wanted to ease into the baking and since I was craving something with cinnamon, snickerdoodles seemed like the perfect thing to start with. Snickerdoodles are a cookie that is rolled in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon before baking and they are so addictively good! One of the things that is so amazing about snickerdooles is how easier they are to make; I mean really, all that needs to be done is mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry ingredients, mix them together, roll, coat and bake. All said and done you will be passing those tasty little treats back an forth between your hands, blowing on them to cool, in less than 20 minutes!

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Orange Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

While I was enjoying a lime meltaway I was vaguely reminded of another cookie that was similar but it was an orange cookies. After diligently searching through my many bookmarked cookie recipes I finally found this recipe for orange cookies dipped in chocolate on use real butter. These cookies get their orange flavour from no less than three different sources including orange zest, orange juice and candied orange peel. When you take these already great sounding cookies and you dip them in chocolate they get even better and I could not resist adding them to this years holiday cookie platter. The recipe for these cookies is pretty similar to many other recipes for short bread where you mix the ingredients, chill the dough and then slice and bake it. Despite that fact that they take a bit of time with bringing the butter to room temperature and then chilling the dough, these cookies are really easy to make. The orange flavour certainly comes though well in these cookies and the bits of candied orange peel add a particularly nice texture. There is just something magical about the orange and chocolate flavour combination and it certainly works well with there cookies!

Orange Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

(make 24+ cookies)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup candied orange peel (chopped)
1 orange (zest)
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces dark chocolate (chopped)

Directions:
1. Cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Mix the flour and the salt.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until it starts forming larger clumps.
4. Mix in the candied orange, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla extract.
5. Form the dough into the shape that you want, wrap it in plastic and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour. (I did a rectangular log but you could also do a circular log.)
6. Cut the log into 1/4 inch thick slices and place on a parchment lines baking pan with one inch of space between them.
7. Bake in a preheated 325F oven until they just start to turn lightly golden brown on top, about 15-20 minutes.
8. Let cool completely.
9. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
10. Dip the cookies into the chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper and let cool until the chocolate sets. (Feel free to chill them in the fridge to help it set quicker.)

Similar Recipes:
Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Lime Meltaways
Meyer Lemon Bars
Mayan Orange Brownies
Orange Chocolate Cream Cheese Mousse
Almond Crescent Cookies
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bacon Maple Shortbread

Maple Pecan Shortbread

While I was searching for shortbread recipes I came across this one for maple pecan shortbread that sounded so good that it immediately made it to this years holiday cookie platter. Maple and pecan are among my favourite flavours and the combination of the two is simply amazing! It is a flavour combination that I really enjoy and frequently use. These cookies are essentially a shortbread with chopped pecans and maple flavouring in the form of maple syrup. To get even more mapley goodness I also replaced some of the sugar in the cookies with maple sugar. The cookies are then finished with a topping of a pecan half and some coarse grained sugar. Although these cookies are pretty easy to make, the dough requires some chilling time in the fridge so plan appropriately. You really cannot go wrong with buttery shortbread cookies and these maple pecan short bread cookies did not disappoint! The maple and pecan flavours came through really well and the cookies seemed to literally melt in your mouth. I can see that these cookies will definitely have a place on my holiday cookie platter for years to come!

Maple Pecan Shortbread

(makes 30+ cookies)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans (toasted and finely chopped)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg white (lightly beaten)
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Directions:
1. Mix the flours, salt and pecans in a large bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the maple syrup followed by the egg yolk.
4. Mix in the flour until it forms a dough.
5. Form the dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick log, wrap it in plastic and let it chill out in the fridge for 2 hours to over night.
6. Slice the log into 1/4 inch thick slices.
7. Place the cookies on a baking sheet 1 inch apart from each other, brush with the egg white and top with the pecan laves and the turbinado sugar.
8. Bake the cookies in a 350F preheated oven until lightly golden brown on the edges, about 10-12 minutes, turning the baking sheet around half way through.

Similar Recipes:
Maple Pecan Pie
Maple Pecan Ice Cream
Maple Pecan Granola
Lime Meltaways
Almond Crescent Cookies
Bacon Maple Shortbread

Lime Meltaways

It just wouldn't be the holidays without some form of shortbread and one of the things that I like so much about shortbread, other than its buttery melt in your mouth goodness, is that it is easy to change things up by adding different flavours. I found this recipe for lime 'meltaway' shortbread cookies on use real butter a while ago and I had been itching to make them. With the dull and dreary winter weather setting in, it seemed like the perfect time to pull out some limes to ward off the gloominess, even if just for a few moments. There is just something magical about dusting shortbread in powdered sugar from its reminder of and hope for a white Christmas to the way that it quickly melts in you mouth delivering its sweetness. Although these cookies can be a bit messy, I recommend using a plate and napkins, they are certainly worth it! The initial hit of sweetness gives way to the buttery shortbread and then lime flavour comes through finishing off everything nicely.

Lime Meltaways

(makes 24+ cookies)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 limes (zest)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Cream the butter with the powdered sugar.
2. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla.
3. Mix the flour, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl.
4. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet.
5. Roll the dough out into a 1 1/4 inch log.
6. Wrap in plastic and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
7. Slice the dough into 1/4 in thick slices and place them on a baking sheet, 1 inch apart from each other.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until just lightly golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
9. Let cool on a wire rack for 4 minutes.
10. Dredge cookies in powdered sugar to coat.

Similar Recipes:
Shortbread
Meyer Lemon Bars
Key Lime Pie
Maple Pecan Shortbread
Orange Cookies Dipped in Chocolate
Almond Crescent Cookies
Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Coconut Macaroons

Enough with reminiscing about holiday cookies past, it is time to kick off this years holiday cookie baking! First up on the list was a classic, coconut macaroons; not to be confused with macarons. Coconut macaroons are really simple containing just shredded coconut, sugar and egg whites to hold it all together. You bake them in the oven until they turn a nice light golden brown on the outside and after they cool they have an amazing slightly crisp outer layer but the inside is nice and moist and tender and oh so good! If you are a fan of coconut then these macaroons are definitely for you! For a lighter and fluffier version you can beat the egg whites and sugar until they form stiff peaks before folding in the coconut. Speaking of coconut, one of the best things to pair coconut with is chocolate and I could not resist drizzling some melted dark chocolate over my coconut macaroons!

Coconut Macaroons

(makes 18-25 cookies)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup of sugar
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 ounces dark chocolate (shaved)

Directions:
1. Mix the egg whites, vanilla, sugar and coconut in a bowl.
2. Spoon the batter onto a parchment paper lined baking pan with 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of batter per cookie.
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until lightly golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Let cool for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler and dip the macaroons in the chocolate or drizzle the chocolate on the macaroons.

Similar Recipes:
Green Tea Macarons
Meringues

Use the leftover egg yolks in:
Guinness Chocolate Pudding
Hollandaise Sauce
Avgolemono Sauce
Azuki (Red Bean) Ice Cream
Black Sesame Ice Cream

Pumpkin White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies

While I was looking through pumpkin recipes recently, I came across the idea of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies which sounded so good that I had to try them right away! I had not thought to use pumpkin in cookies before but I knew that it would be a killer combo. When I went to see if I had any chocolate chips, I happened to stumble across some macadamia nuts first. I looked at the container and thought, I have just enough for a batch of cookies and then inspiration struck! Why not add pumpkin to some white chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies? White chocolate chunk and macadamia nut cookies are my all time favourite cookie and so with that thought I instantly had a new plan.

Read the recipe »

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The other day I was talking to a friend and the topic of chocolate chip cookies came up and I realized that it had been far too long since I had last made any. Although the tried and true basic chocolate chip cookies are always welcome, I like to play around with the recipe adding different things like nuts and/or dried fruit. I picked up a large bag of dried cherries a while ago and I remembered thinking that cherry chocolate chip cookies would be really good since chocolate and cherries are such a great flavour combination. I started with my standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and I pretty much just added some dried cherries. At the last minute however I decided that I wanted the cookies to be a bit more chocolaty and I replaced some of the flour with cocoa powder. When I make chocolate chip cookies I prefer to use a good dark chocolate which usually comes in bar form which I cut into chunks rather than just using chips. The cherry chocolate chunk cookies turned out great! They were not as dark as I was expecting but the chocolate flavour was nice and strong and it paired well with the cherries that added a pleasant chewy texture to the cookies. The cookies were slightly crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the center.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

(makes 12 large cookies)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa in another bowl.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
5. Mix in the chocolate and the cherries.
6. Place the dough onto a cookie sheet one table spoon at a time.
7. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 10-14 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies
White Chocolate Chunk and Macadamia Nut Cookies
Cranberry, Pistachio and White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Black Forest Pancakes

Strawberry-Rhubard Sorbet and Vanilla Ice Cream with Rhubarb-Red Wine Compote

It’s time for dessert. After tapas and paella, dessert was, well, not exactly Spanish. I wanted to make use of spring-time strawberries and rhubarb and turning them into something frozen seemed right. Since a frozen dessert would be made well in advance, that meant I could put together a few components and nothing would require last-minute attention. When I read The Perfect Scoop, I was inspired by the suggested pairings of sorbets or granitas with ice creams and sauces. I dreamt up a vision of fruity strawberry-rhubarb sorbet served next to a sinfully rich scoop of vanilla ice cream, and I found those recipes in that book. Following the strawberry-rhubarb sorbet recipe, there’s a note about serving it with a red wine-poached rhubarb compote which sounded perfect. Sorbet, ice cream, and compote was a good start, but I thought a nutty, crunchy item would make it complete. For that, I turned to Martha Stewart's Cookies and chose the lacy nut cookie. I had a plan, but I had no idea how to best present those items on a dessert plate. I should probably read a book on plating and presentation.

Each part of this dessert was very easy to prepare. For the sorbet, rhubarb was chopped and cooked with sugar and water until tender. That was pureed with strawberries, chilled, and churned into sorbet in my ice cream maker. The next day, I made the custard for ice cream with whole milk, sugar, cream, a vanilla bean, six egg yolks, and vanilla extract. I’ve tried a few different recipes for vanilla ice cream, and I can now gauge how delicious the result will be based on the number of egg yolks used. Six is a lovely number of egg yolks for vanilla ice cream, and it was very delicious. The compote was a simple mix of chopped rhubarb, red wine, sugar, honey, a cinnamon stick, and ground cloves. That combination was simmered until the rhubarb was cooked and the sauce reduced, and then I stored it in the refrigerator. Before serving, I brought the compote back to room temperature. The last item was the cookie. The dough was made from mostly butter but also confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, bread flour, and chopped pecans. Once mixed, it was rolled into a log, wrapped in parchment paper, and chilled. Pieces were sliced from the dough log and baked on silpat-lined sheet pans. I quickly learned that these cookies spread even more than you would think. The dough log I created was a little big, and I ended up cutting each slice in half before baking. The shape of the dough doesn’t matter so much because it spreads into a circle regardless while baking. The cookies baked into lacy and somewhat fragile wafers of buttery crunch.

I ended up with just what I wanted for flavors, textures, fruit, and nuts, but I had no idea how to make it look nice on a plate. Should I have put the compote on the bottom, drizzled it on top, or placed it to the side? What about the cookie? I couldn’t decide how to position it either. It could have been the platform on which everything else sat, or it could have rested on top like a lacy veil over the frozen scoops, or it could have sat in a more vertical pose. I played with the plating and snapped the photos seen here well before dinner time. Then, when it was time for dessert, my final plating decision was to set out a buffet of sorts and invite everyone to help themselves. Problem solved.

Cranberry and Pistachio White Chocolate Bark

I have been seeing recipes for bark since I started food blogging and I have always wanted to try making some. Bark seems to be pretty simple in concept, being chocolate that is melted and then topped with goodies. After the chocolate has cooled it is broken into pieces that I guess resemble pieces of bark. With the cranberry, pistachio and white chocolate combo still fresh on my mind I figured that it was the perfect time to try making some holiday bark. I decided to mix the cranberries and pistachios into the melted chocolate rather than just sprinkling them on top as I figured the bark would hold together better. The cranberry, pistachio and white chocolate bark turned out great! I used some good quality white chocolate that was nice and creamy and it felt like it was just melting in your mouth and it went perfectly with the cranberries and pistachios.

Given the simple concept of bark, there are near endless possibilities. Peppermint or candy cane bark seems to be another popular bark recipe around the holidays. A while ago when I was having trouble finding the bacon chocolate bar that I had heard about I was seriously considering melting down some good dark chocolate and making some bacon bark! Bacon bark aside, I am looking forward to experimenting with bark some more.

Cranberry and Pistachio White Chocolate Bark

(makes 24+ pieces)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound white Chocolate (chopped)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pistachios

Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios.
2. Pour the chocolate into a parchment paper lined baking sheet and smooth it out.
3. Let cool and set completely on the counter or in the fridge.
4. Break into pieces and enjoy.

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Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti Dipped in White Chocolate
Cranberry, Pistachio and White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies