Cranberry-Almond Shortbread Tart

I'm in holiday testing mode this week, so today I tried a Fine Cooking recipe I'd seen for a cranberry-almond shortbread tart.  Because this was just a test, I made half the recipe, using two mini tarts pans, which worked out pretty well.  The filling is tart with fresh cranberries and a little apricot jam, and the crust is crunchy with ground, toasted almonds and cornmeal.  I have other recipes to try, but I'm thinking this is a definite possibility.

Almond Joy Macaroons

This post is a little late, but I did make these macaroons during Passover. This is just a little twist on a simple coconut macaroon recipe. I added sliced almonds into the mixture and then a chocolate kiss on top, after I took the macaroons from the oven. The almonds add a nice crunch, and the kisses mean no dipping in chocolate, which can be messy (and dangerous, when some of the cookies fall into the chocolate and you have to eat the less pretty ones).  Almond Joy Macaroons(based on Mark Bittman's Minimalist Macaroons) 

2/3 c sugar (I used vanilla sugar and skipped the vanilla below)

2 c unsweetened coconut

2/3 c sliced almonds

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

approx. 24 chocolate kisses (optional but good)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the sugar, coconut, almonds, egg whites, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl.  Using a 1/8 c measuring cup (or spoons, or your fingers), scoop out the coconut mixture onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 min., or til lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and place an upside down kiss on top of each macaroon.  Let cool completely.

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Empanadas

I've been out of town, but while I was away I did a little experimental cooking. It's always nice to have a willing guinea pig! One of the things I'd wanted to try for a long time was empanadas, but there are so many different recipes out there. Then I came across this recipe, which seemed to match everything I was looking for, especially a flaky crust that doesn't use crisco or lard. We all loved it! The only thing I did differently was to use ground turkey thighs instead of beef or veal, but the flavors are so rich you can't tell. The almonds, olives, raisins, and tomatoes in the filling blend perfectly with the meat and warming spices like cinnamon, cumin and cloves. The dough uses cream cheese, and it was tender and flaky. I ended up with twice as much filling as needed, though, so now it's in the freezer all ready to go for another day.

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Christmasy Cookies

Every year I say the same thing--that I'm not going to go overboard--and every year I end up making a ton of cookies. It's not that I don't like baking cookies--clearly--but there's only so many hours in a day, nor is there a need for bazillions of cookies and candies.  This year my list kept growing and growing, but I was finally able to narrow it down to a mere 10 items.  After I baked the first eight all in one day, and I had trouble locating not-uncommon ingredients for the last two, I decided it was a sign and called it a day.  Starting at the bottom of this picture, there are triple peanut cookies with peanut m&ms, salty caramel oat caramelitas, chocolate-dipped toasted coconut macaroons, coal cookies with white chocolate chips, chewy ginger spice cookies (hiding at the very top), almond buttercrunch, and avalanche bars.  Not pictured are the peanut butter-oat dog biscuits I made, but the dog has tested them and declared them very tasty.  She didn't even bother trying to hide these--as is her usual with a treat--and just ate them right up.

Israeli Couscous with Cranberries, Apples and Almonds

This recipe, from Giada, is one of my new favorites. Israeli, or pearl, couscous is mixed with dried cranberries, chopped up apple, and toasted almonds, all in an herby apple cider vinaigrette. It's good hot ... warm ... or just out of the fridge, if it lasts that long. I served this with apricot chicken, maple roasted butternut squash and carrots, and a big green salad.


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Pear and Almond Tart

Isn't this pretty? Even better, it was tasty too. The pears  were poached in  honey, ginger and white wine, and then baked in a almond crust with an almondy filling.  A little whipped cream on the side didn't hurt either.  The recipe is here.

I just noticed this is my 500th post.  Wow ... who knew I had so much to say (and bake!)?

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Mounds of Joy Brownies

What happens when an Almond Joy, Mounds, and a brownie collide? Deliciousness, clearly. I always wanted the two candy bars to combine, with coconut covered in dark chocolate AND almonds. So when I recently found a recipe for Mounds-like brownies, adding a layer of toasted whole almonds on top of the coconut wasn't even a question. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Triple Almond Scones

Weekend guests call for a little something extra for breakfast. I made this recipe, adapted from Dorie's Baking cookbook, which uses a coarse almond flour, slivered almonds and almond extract. The scones were satisfying and not too sweet (though I did sprinkle a little extra sugar on top for added flavor and crunch.) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Raspberry-Apricot-Almond Danish

I made this pastry for a brunch we had today. Because I had the dough already made, leftover from a previous experiment, it was pretty easy to put together before everyone arrived. I took the dough out of the freezer, went to pick up some bagels, came back and rolled it out, filled it with raspberry and apricot preserves and a ground almond mixture, closed the braid, let it rest for 30 min., and then baked it for 20 min. Relatively quick and extremely tasty, and there's now only a sliver of it left.

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Valentine's Macarons

Happy Valentine's Day! This year I decided to tackle a project I've been talking about for over a year, possibly two. Macarons are sweet, almond and meringuey cookies that are filled with any number of good things. I made two kinds: one pale pink filled with raspberry preserves and one creamy white filled with dark chocolate ganache. The thing about macarons is that they are a process to make and, with the almond flour, not cheap either. I knew this going in--and they lived up to that. I think I used every mixing bowl around as well as every surface. Also, the cookies are delicate, and breakage will occur. While I don't plan to make these again immediately, I still came away with plenty of cookies and even just the unfilled broken shells are good to munch on.

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Rise and Shine

Blustery and cold Sunday mornings call for a little something extra. This morning, with the temperature in the 20s and the wind chill at least 10 degrees lower, I made a treat from "Baking With Julia." This Danish pastry is flaky, and the recipe includes three choices for one of the two fillings and two choices for the second. I used four-berry preserves and a ground almond mixture, but there are many, perhaps less traditional, substitutions too.



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Christmas Cookies 2010

The holidays are here, and I am done with my baking! Well, at least the immediate baking -- I've been told I missed a few key kinds of cookies and that we're at risk of running out. Not likely. This year I made, triple peanut butter cookies, gingersnaps, chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, pecan divines, and almond buttercrunch, which is pictured above.

                                                                    Spicy gingersnaps


                                                           Chewy, nutty pecan divines


                                                    Chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons


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Peach-Almond French Toast with Peachy Maple Syrup

Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite things. This recipe, based on one from Bobby Flay, combines several of my favorite flavors: peach, almond, and maple. The soaking mixture for the bread--I used challah--included milk, cream, fresh peach purée, eggs, almond extract, and brown sugar. And the syrup combined pure maple syrup, thinly sliced peaches, and toasted almonds, with more peaches and more almonds for the topping. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Almond Clouds

Anyone who likes the sweet flavor of almonds will like these quick, and somewhat addictive, cookies. They use neither flour nor butter and only an egg white to bind, but the trio of almonds--paste, extract and oil--makes it all come together. My cookies nothing like the ones in the picture on the KA site, but I have absolutely no complaints. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Save Your Teeth Biscotti

Biscotti are often used to dunk in coffee or tea, so their extra-hardness makes sense. However, if you're one of those people who likes to eat a cookie without breaking her teeth, or who doesn't care for the sodden, lumpy mess a dunked cookie can turn into, these are the cookies to make. Both recipes are from Dorie Greenspan's Baking at Home. The plain almond biscotti--which are anything but "plain"--have a strong almond flavor from both sliced almonds and almond extract. The recipe also calls for cornmeal, which adds flavor and texture. The chocolate biscotti feature unsweetened cocoa, chopped bittersweet chocolate, and chopped blanched almonds. Like all biscotti, the cookies are baked as logs for 15-20 min., allowed to cool, and then sliced and baked for 10-20 min. more. The second baking toasts the cookies on all sides, but they aren't rocklike--certainly if you want them harder, leave them in the oven a bit longer.

Chicken Tagine with Tomatoes and Honey

We're in Morocco tonight, at least for dinner. We had djaj matisha mesla, or chicken with tomatoes and honey, rice pilaf with almonds, carrot salad, and spinach with raisins and pine nuts. The chicken was cooked with onions, tomatoes, saffron, ginger, and cinnamon til the mixture was a thick, caramelized sauce. Honey was added, and the whole thing was topped with toasted almonds and sesame seeds. All of the recipes, except for the rice, come from Claudia Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

Christmas Cookies!

This year's Christmas cookies are done, and the kitchen is now closed. At least for a few days. And despite my plans to not go overboard this year, it's possible I did, though strangely there aren't many left at this point. As usual, there were a couple of regulars and a few new flavors, too -- I kept finding new recipes to try, but eventually even I had to call it quits. In the final tally, I made peach-raspberry linzers, shortbread snowflakes, chocolate-dipped espresso shortbread trees, soft ginger cookies, fleur de sel caramel, almond buttercrunch, chocolate chip-pretzel cookies, cranberry-oatmeal-chip cookies, and pecan bars with cranberries.

Amaretto Butter Cookies

As the name implies, these cookies are both nutty and buttery, and they're not too sweet. The recipe, which comes from Sunset magazine, uses Amaretto liqueur inside and sliced almonds on the top to reinforce the almond taste, without making them almond cookies. A dash of orange zest adds its own sweetness and brightens the flavor. Amaretto Butter Cookies (makes about 3 dozen) 1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temp. 1 c sugar 1 egg, separated 3 Tbs Amaretto (or 1 Tbs almond extract) 1 tsp finely grated orange zest 2 c flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 c sliced almonds 1. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Then add the egg yolk, Amaretto, and orange zest and mix well. 2. Then add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just blended. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, flattening each piece into a disk. Freeze for 30 min. 3. Unwrap one of the pieces of dough. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the dough til it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut out the cookies with a two-inch cutter, and place the cookies about two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps of dough into a ball, roll that out, and cut out more cookies. Then do the same with the second piece of dough. 4. Mix the egg white with about a teaspoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush this mixture onto the cookies and then arrange the sliced almonds on top. 5. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for about 15 min., til lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has a favorite chocolate chip recipe. I have several, now including this one. Chef Jacques Torres' recipe for chocolate chip cookies is fairly straightforward, but it calls for well over 1 lb of chocolate, and even with the amounts of butter and sugar, it just seemed like too much. I put in 1.5 Scharffenburger 62% chocolate bars (which is fairly bittersweet, despite the number), so about 14 oz all chunked up, reduced the sugar some, and added about a cup each of chopped up pecans and toasted almonds. My preference is for a soft cookie, so I watched these carefully and took them out of the oven before they became too browned and they turned out chewy and soft and delicious. And, as you can see, they're not lacking in chocolate.

Christmas Cookies, Day 2

Not that I really needed more, but I finished the Christmas cookies yesterday. I made almond buttercrunch (above), lemon-glazed lemon cookies, and meringue kisses. Lemon-glazed lemon cookies, from Carole Walters' Great Cookies. Meringue kisses: light and airy meringue mixed with toasted pecans and unsweetened coconut. Also from Carole Walters' Great Cookies.