Lime Cinnamon Macaroons

These are a tropical explosion of flavor...a lovely twist on a classic cookie.

Crunchy edges dusted with cinnamon give way to a soft, chewy interior of lime and coconut. Big flake coconut makes these cookies substantial and less stringy than their shredded counterparts.

The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan's cookie cookbook, my cookie bible since loosing Baking Illustrated in the mail. It makes me very happy and I was smitten with all of her macaroon variations...especially this tropical theme on macaroons.

They'd make lovely non-traditional christmas cookies (since they're basically a chewy meringue, they keep very well, other than becoming a bit soggy on the edges). But they also just make a nice tupperware-full of cookies to dip into day and night.

I swear, the flavor combination (which is not something I usually wax on about with cookies, being more concerned with texture and richness and chocolate intensity :) ) is addictive!

Lime Cinnamon Macaroons
Yield: aprox. 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites
• 3 1/2 cups (5.25 ounces) dried flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons lime zest (from 1-2 limes)
• cinnamon (either powdered, or stick to grate with a microplane)

Method:

1. Combine egg whites, coconut, sugar, and salt in a large metal bowl. Set the bowl over a large skillet of gently simmering water, stirring as the mixture heats. Keep stirring until the mixture is very hot to touch, is slightly thicker, and has turned from transparent to opaque, approximately 5-7 minutes. Set aside for half an hour to let the mixture thicken further.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put racks in upper and lower thirds.
3. Mix in vanilla extract and lime zest. Spoon out pretty heaps of batter, about 2 tablespoons each, 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or silpat, or greased foil). 
4. Bake 5 minutes, rotating top/bottom and front/back halfway through. Lower oven to 325 degrees F and continue to bake 10-15 minutes, rotating again. Bake until cookies are deeply golden on the tips and around the edges, lowering oven to 300 if it seems like they are cooking too fast. 
5. Let cool on baking sheets or on racks with just parchment. Wait until the cookies are completely cool before peeling off the cookies. Grate cinnamon over the cookies or lightly dust with powdered cinnamon. Though the cookies are best the first day, since they are crispy on the edges, they keep well 5 or so days in an airtight container.

Recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich.

Chocolate Almond Crinkle Cookies

I remember, growing up, hoping there was some minor business (a check to cash, something to deposit or withdraw) at our local bank Saturday morning. Any other morning, they had the crusty lollipops in the straw bowl they kept near the deposit slips.

But Saturday mornings, they had doughnuts and/or doughnut holes.

I was definitely that kid that sneakily said "Don't you have something to do at the bank, Dad????" at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, hoping we could go early and snag the treats.

Experimenting with my dad's lightbox...kind of cool to have a solid black background!

How does this relate to the cookies shown in these pictures? Well, these cookies are rolled in not just powdered sugar but also granulated sugar. I'm not sure why, but I'm sure my 7 year old self would be all over it.

They're also fudgy and chocolatey, without being as dense and greasy as a brownie or extra chocolaty cookie sometimes is. The dough is different from your standard cookie dough because ground almonds are a substantial addition to the dry team (flour, baking soda, salt).

And, rather than being creamed with butter, the eggs are whipped into a frenzy with some sugar until the whole thing is pale and thick. Melted chocolate, a small gob of butter, and some coffee or liquor finish off the whole shebang, transforming it into a chocolate cloud.

It is worth noting, however, that this is not a one-bowl kind of recipe. There's the food processor (to break down the almonds), a stand mixer (to beat the crap out of the eggs), and then a double boiler (to melt the chocolate, but I said "ENOUGH!" and went with a microwaveable bowl instead). Let it be known that these steps are worth it, and the end product is delicious!

After 1 bite, it's all over...

Chocolate Almond Crinkle Cookies
Yield: 25 cookies (note: the original recipe said it made 40. Apparently I make big cookies...but no one ever complained about that!)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brewed coffee (or reconstituted from espresso powder, which is what I used) or liquor (Grand Marnier or dark rum would work)
• 1 cup (125 g) almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup (70 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature (this is apparently important...to do it quickly, put the eggs in a bowl with warmish tap water for 5-10 minutes, then change it and let it sit for another 5-10 minutes)
• 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar, plus more for coating
• powdered sugar for coating

Method:

1. Melt chocolate, butter, and coffee/liquor together in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring and checking every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
2. Process almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until they are as finely ground as possible.
3. Whip eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on high for approximately 5 minutes, or until a distinct ribbon forms when you lift up the beater. 
4. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture with a rubber spatula. Next, fold in the almond-flour mixture. Chill dough for 1-2 hours, until firm (dough can be chilled for up to 5 days for frozen for up to a month).
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare baking sheets with parchment, silicone, or greased foil. 
6. Pour some granulated sugar into a bowl, then sift some powdered sugar into another bowl. Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll in your hands. Roll in the granulated sugar first, then the powdered sugar and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. 
7. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to firm up at the edges but still very soft in the middle. Let cool on baking sheets until cooled enough to transfer to wire racks.

via Ready for Dessert, by David Lebovitz

Maple Oatmeal Cran-Blue-Raisin-Berry Cookies

Last night, some friends and I were discussing razzleberry. What kind of flavor is that? Usually it's just blue dye and some fruity artificial flavors.

But we decided it probably comes from raspberry and apple. And then we started thinking about cran-apple, and what would happen if you shortened that in the same way...

Crappleberry. That's what would happen. So Ocean Spray just sticks with cran-apple...it's probably a safer bet, advertising-wise.

These cookies are not crapple-icious. They look innocent and full of berries, until WHAM

Golden raisins reveal themselves among the camouflage of golden dough, ninja-like, full of stealth. Sweet, wrinkly stealth.

This is what they look like after they've been smooshed together traveling on a plane, bus, and train. Still taste amazing though!

The only downside of this recipe is that the maple flavor has a bit too much stealth. It's kind of invisible. If you want a stronger flavor, I'd suggest maple extract, or swapping out some brown sugar for maple sugar.

The extra liquid from the sticky sap contributes moisture, keeping the cookies soft, but I wonder what would happen if you replaced it with molasses, or honey. You'd probably want to decrease the amount a bit, since those are stronger/sweeter than maple syrup, respectively. But it could make a delicious change! (It also makes the dough a bit sticky, so refrigerating before scooping helps the cookies keep their shape).

Or maybe you want to play with the additions. Joy made hers with white chocolate and cranberry! I think it'd be wonderful with some toasted, slivered almonds too!

This is one of those drop cookies which takes well to almost any add-in. Pretzels. Chocolate. Dried fruit. Nuts. Sprinkles. Heath bits. Chopped up peanut butter cups. I just threw in many handfuls of small dried fruits, but you could go crazy with variations! 

P.S. Yes, that's toilet paper, AKA college kleenex

Maple Oatmeal Cran-Blue-Raisin-Berry Cookies

Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 3/4 cups rolled oats

Handfuls and handfuls of bite-sized add-ins: I recommend about 2 cups worth if you want them really choc full! This version has about 1/2 cup dried blueberries, 3/4 cup golden raisins, and 1 cup dried cranberries, approximately.

Method:

1. Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, silpats, foil and baking spray, etc. and set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. 
3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), combine butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined and slightly fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.  
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Add vanilla extract and maple syrup and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Add in add-ins and stir in by hand or let the mixer handle it.
5. (optional) Refrigerate dough for about an hour--it really helps since, with the syrup, the dough is pretty sticky.
6. Spoon batter onto prepared pans by the heaping tablespoonful. Leave about 2 inches of space between cookies.  Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden around the edges. 
7. Cool cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to four days. 

Adapted from Joy the Baker!

Butter Fingers

These are not the butterfingers people pass out at Halloween. Nothing wrong with peanut butter crispy candy covered in chocolate, but these cookies are awesome. Lightly sweetened shortbread is jam packed full of crispy, buttery pecans. And I mean jam packed...there are basically as many pecans as there is dough, volume wise.

Rolled into finger shapes, baked, then rolled in a soft, thick blanket of powdered sugar.

Common scents: don't wear black while eating. Because that fabulousness just can't be contained.

Recipe courtesy of my boyfriend's mom, who makes these often (with good reason, too). I tried one he brought back after a break, and oh man, was I honored to get the recipe!

I made them in my grandmother's tiny kitchen while my dad made a lamb roast (yumyumyumyum.). And let me just set the scene: we're talking the grandmother who melts a See's candy on her toast for breakfast. She loved them, as did the aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members who passed through her living room throughout the week and were greeted with a hug and the leftover chinese takeout container full of cookies.

Another plus of being at my grandmother's house is that she has beautiful china. She collects teacups and saucers, so as you drink cups and cups of tea--I love tea--you get to enjoy the unique patterns and delicate handles.

Saucers make great cookie plates, because the dainty cookies look substantial in comparison to the small size of the plate and beautiful against the similar daintiness of the china.

These few ingredients leave a strong impression of butter and sweetness and crunch and holidays.

Butter Fingers
Yield: about 3 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups (one 8 ounce bag) chopped pecans
about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (to roll the cookies in)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cream the butter, then add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time.
3. Add in the flour and vanilla, mixing until just combined. Then, add the pecans and mix to combine.
4. Roll 1 tablespoon-ish of the dough to make "finger" shape.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until firm. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheets.
6. Carefully roll the still-warm cookies in the powdered sugar. Note: If they crack, it's chef's treat! It helps to press the sugar onto the cookies from all sides. Coat completely so the cookies are entirely white.
7. Eat up!