Cookies Archives - Page 7 of 11 - Tim & Victor's Totally Joyous Recipes

Springerle Cookies

This recipe comes from House on the Hill, Inc. in Elmhurst, IL.

Perfection Springerle Cookies

These whisked-egg holiday cookies date back to at least the 1600’s and are made in Bavaria, Switzerland and the Alsace area of France. For eating quality, ease and quality of prints this recipe is just perfection!

What you’ll need:

1/2 teaspoon baker’s ammonia (Hartshorn) or baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
6 large eggs, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar (1 – 1 1/2 #)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of anise (if substituting fruit flavored oils, use 3 teaspoons)
2 lb. box sifted cake flour (Swansdown or Softasilk)
grated rind of orange or lemon – optional (enhances flavor of the traditional anise or the citrus flavors)
more flour as needed

Dissolve hartshorn in milk and set aside. Beat eggs till thick and lemon-colored (10-20 minutes). Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, then the softened butter.
Add the hartshorn and milk, salt, preferred flavoring, and grated rind of lemon or orange, if desired. Gradually beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the remainder of the 2 lbs. of flour to make stiff dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead in enough flour to make a good print without sticking.
Follow general directions for imprinting and drying cookies.

Printing Cookies

Method #1 – For most cookies…
Dough will be rolled approximately 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick, like pie crust (deeper molds need thicker dough). Brush confectioner’s sugar or flour on the mold image, then imprint with your press (mold), cut out shape with knife or pastry wheel, dry and bake. Remember to “press and cut, press and cut” so that adjacent images are not distorted.

Method #2 – For very deep or large cookies…
Roll out dough to desired thickness and, using a dry, clean pastry brush, apply flour or sugar and cut a piece of dough the approximate size needed for the mold. Press dough into the mold with fingers, working from center outward. You may lightly roll the back side of the cookie to smooth before turning out of the mold. Trim, dry and bake. To check your print, use light from the side – daylight or light from a floor lamp – so the shadows let you see if your prints are good.

Drying

Most printed cookies are dried 2-24 hours before baking (depending on your schedule, humidity, etc.) Drying preserves the image during baking.

Baking

Bake on greased or baker’s parchment-lined cookie sheets at 255° to 325° till barely golden on the bottom, 10-15 minutes or more, depending on size of cookie.

Store in airtight containers or in zipper bags in the freezer. They keep for months, and improve with age. Yield 3 to 12 dozen.

Appetizers

Peanut Butter Cookies

I can't imagine what it would be like to be married to someone who never cooked. Who never ventured into the kitchen except to get ice. It's just so outside my realm of experience.

My mom cooked the majority of meals in our house growing up, but my father definitely did his share of the cooking, too. He was a San Francisco Fireman. He knew his way around a kitchen and didn't fear for his masculinity if he was seen at the grocery store or cooking for his family. His veal cutlets and dirty potatoes were legendary. And those Sunday morning eggs fried in bacon grease.....

::sigh::

Okay, so he wasn't always the most health-conscious of cooks. He was definitely role model, though. A really good role model. I learned a lot from him.

Fast-forward a few years and imagine my joy walking into the house after work and seeing Victor in the kitchen making peanut butter cookies. It's slightly chill outside, but the minute I walk into the house I'm enveloped in warmth and the smell of baking peanut butter wafting through the house.

My stomach started smiling before I did - and I started smiling immediately!

By choice, I do most of the cooking at home. I really do enjoy it. But I also love it when Victor gets into the kitchen - especially when it's unexpected... like coming home to peanut butter cookies in the oven. No matter what sort of day it has been, all is immediately right with the world.

Yes. It is definitely great to share the cooking chores. Especially when there are cookies involved!

His recipe was adapted from an old, battered copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup peanuts

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Add the peanuts. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by making crisscross marks with fork tines, dipping fork in sugar between flattening each cookie. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

by Tim Dineen

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I needed a cookie fix today. The weather forecasters are calling for torrential, biblical, end-of-the-world, monsoon rains to hit this evening and continue into Friday.

Sounds good to me. I love Mother Nature at her finest.

But... While we can still cook in a possible over-the-top-storm-induced power outage, we have electric ovens. If I wanted cookies, I had to make them today to be safe.

So I did.

These are a pretty simple and basic cookie. The ingredients are what every home should have readily available. And they're really good.

Adding a pinch of baking powder and not flattening the cookies makes for a softer finished cookie without going the expensive-gourmet-bakery-under-baking route. I prefer my cookies cooked but I also like them slightly soft and slightly thick. This seems to work just fine.

If you're feeling adultish, you can switch out a tablespoon of the water with a tablespoon of bourbon or whiskey. Makes for a subtle change that's unexpected but really good!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cubes butter (1 cup)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp water

2 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cream butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and water and mix well.

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add slowly to butter mixture, mixing well. Add oats and mix well.

Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until blended.

Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake about 14 minutes. (I use a #30 scoop - about 2 1/2 tbsp per cookie.)

by Tim Dineen

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes basic is best.

I had a yen for a chocolate chip cookie tonight. A plain ol' chocolate chip cookie. No cocoa powder, no melted chocolate, no oatmeal, peanut butter, walnuts, coconut, or anything else. A chocolate chip cookie.

I did make monster-sized chocolate chip cookies, however. I can only be so traditional, ya know...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (16 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture, beating until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.

Use 1/4 cup disher and scoop 6 cookies onto each parchment-lined sheet pan. Flatten cookies slightly and bake 13 - 15 minutes.

Makes about 24 cookies.

And I only ate 2 cookies! Self-control is a remarkable thing!

by Tim Dineen

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Dinner tonight was pretty simple - burritos. Ground beef, rice, and beans, chilis, olives, cheese. Simple, basic, and filling.

So after dinner, Victor laments that we don't have dessert tonight. Situations are actually reversed, for once. Usually it's my sweet tooth looking for goodies. Being the unsympathetic person I am, I said there were two pieces of Valentine chocolate left. One for each. Dessert is covered.

Victor said he was going to bake cookies. My clever ruse worked.

I left the kitchen and Victor went to work.

When we bake cookies, we use ice cream scoops (known as "dishers" in the food biz) to scoop out the dough. We have about a half-dozen of them in varying sizes. They are so much easier than trying to deal with tablespoons and the like - and you get a consistent-sized cookie! (They're also really good for making cupcakes and muffins!)

Victor used a #16 scoop tonight - 1/4 cup. These are big cookies!

The recipe is a variation on the recipe from the lid of the Quaker Oats container.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 pound butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups rolled oats

Heat oven to 350°. In large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded 1/4 cup scoops onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Of course, you can drop them by rounded tablespoons (try a #40 disher) and bake for about 10-11 minutes.

They totally rocked.

by Tim Dineen

Cookie Trays

The weather is cold but gorgeous out. It's time to start delivering cookies! I hate to admit it, but I have consumed waaaay too many cookies again this year. In fact, I'm afraid to get on the scale - I've been really bad.

Even though we cut way back this year, we still have a lot. I'm traying them up as fast as I can and we're delivering them all today.

Handmade food and sharing. And that extra few minutes with the neighbors. This really is one of the most fun traditions we have ever come up with.

So Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

by Tim Dineen

'Tis The Season

It just doesn't get any better.

by Tim Dineen

Cookie Baking Continues

We started with Pizzelle's this morning... Uncle Rudy's recipe.

30 seconds per batch.

Perfect cookies every time.

I couldn't even imagine making them one at a time with a cast iron iron over the open flame of the stove. Two at a time with a 14 year old to man the iron is my way of making them!

And he has definitely mastered the art! They came out excellent!

Next on the list were Aunt Emma's Apricot Cookies. The filling and the dough are both made a day in advance, so it's actually a fairly easy roll, cut, fill, shape, bake process.

Another perfect batch.

Knock wood, but these have all been the best cookies - ever. Aunt Emma, Aunt Dolores, Uncle Rudy, Mom... they're all really watching after us this year.

It is good!

by Tim Dineen

Baking Cookies

We've barely even started when Uncle Victor whacks Gino in the face with a handful of flour. let the baking begin!

While I was at work, the gang made Aunt Emma's dough, and pizzelle dough.

They then started working on sugar cookies.

We decided decorating these would be free-form/ecclectic. I mean, anyone can make a snowman look like a snowman, right?!? It takes talent to step outside of the box!

We're talented!

Very talented!

Next was a batch of sugar-free Biscotti for Nonna. Victor came up with a Slenda recipe a few years ago that's actually edible.

We then got back to some serious candy-making. Aunt Dolores' Rum Balls. The kids rolled and then chocolate-dipped all of them.

The Rum Balls may be just the best, ever. I think these are the most like what Auntie made that I've ever made. I could eat these all night! {{{hic}}}

We also got Vanilla Almond Thumbprints baked off and then made caramels.

Tomorrow is going to be an early start - making Aunt Emma's cookies, biscotti, pizzelles... Plus the Walnut Logs, the Peppermint Patties, the Pfeffernusse...

Boy, am I glad we've cut back! :)

by Tim Dineen

Christmas Cookies 2009

'Tis the Season to bake cookies!

Our most favorite annual tradition is tomorrow - Gino and Elizabeth come to bake cookies with us! Both expressed interest at early ages about learning the family tradition cookies. It's great to know that these recipes are going to live on!

Since many of the doughs need to refrigerate overnight, I made Vanila Almond, Walnut Butter, Aunt Dolores' Rum Balls, and Pfeffernusse tonight so the kids will have something to work with while the doughs they make are chilling. Tomorrow they'll be making Aunt Emma's Apricot cookies, Uncle Rudy's Biscotti (plus a sugar-free version for Nonna) and a couple other varieties, plus Pizzeles. Maybe the Peppermint Patties, too. And we get to chocolate dip everything!

We have made literally thousands of cookies a year, but this year we are seriously scaling back. We just don't have the time to spend making them as we used to. We have made upwards of 20 dozen each of 20 different cookies every year. This year we will probably just make 10 or 12. We'll also be doing a lot of single batches instead of the triple and quadruple batches we've made in the past.

It's going to be a lot of fun!

by Tim Dineen

Sturbridge Village (Massachusetts) Spice Cookies

Kate Kelly Hodsdon

2 C brown sugar
1 C shortening
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 C sour milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
3 C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 C raisins

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and milk and beat well. Sift together flour, soda, salt, spices and stir into the batter. Beat well. Add raisins and mix until blended. Drop by tablespoonful of dough about three inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. These are BIG cookies – just like the pilgrims used to eat!

Snickerdoodles

Patty Dineen Reynolds

1/2 C shortening
1/2 C butter
1-1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2-3/4 C flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix shortening, butter, sugar, and eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in mixture of 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls slightly with the bottom of a cup dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Appetizers