serai: A kiss between Casey Connor and Zeke Tyler (CaseyZeke)
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This were fussy to make, but very nice once done. You'll need cookie cutters, and among them one that cuts out a tiny star. Wilton makes a nested set of star-shaped cutters ostensibly for fondant, which also work very well for these cookies.

I didn't bother with making the jam. Trader Joe's has great jams, so I used some I bought there - raspberry, and blackberry.


Linzer Cookies with Ginger Cardamom Jam

6 oz frozen raspberries
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp powdered ginger
¼ tsp ground cardamom

12 tbsps unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups + 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar

Add the frozen raspberries, sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan and start to cook on medium heat, stirring until everything is combined. Once the raspberries have thawed, add the ginger and the cardamom. Cook until the fruit is completely broken down and the jam thickened (about 10 minutes). Let cool.

Beat the butter and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and the salt and beat until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Roll out the dough to ¼" thickness. Cut out the cookies, then cut a tiny star out of the center of half of them. Bake on the prepared sheet until they start to brown (12 to 15 minutes). Let the cookies cool completely.

Sift powdered sugar onto the cookies with the cut-out centers. Spoon a little bit of jam onto the whole cookies and top with a cut-out center cookie. Press the cookies together, wiggling them a bit if the jam doesn't spread out fully. Let uncovered for a day or so, to let the jam set and firm up, then store covered as usual.

Makes at least 14 cookies, depending on thickness and shape of the cutter.



Note: This dough is a bitch to work with. It's quite dry, and constantly wants to split or crumble. The chilling time, in my opinion, is too long. This dough should be chilled no more than 15 minutes, or else you'll just have to let it warm up once you get it out of the fridge. I found myself having to massage the dough with my hands just to get it to hang together because the cold made it so fragile. But with patience it works, and the results really are good. :)
serai: A kiss between Casey Connor and Zeke Tyler (YouKnowYouWantItKaga)
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Made this new cookie recipe today. They were super easy and taste wonderful.

And may I say being able to reach out my back door and pluck a lemon from the tree? In December? Is EXCELLENT.


Lemon Crinkle Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1½ cup AP flour
½ cup powdered sugar, reserved for rolling the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 3 baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat until well combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until they are combined. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Scoop about a tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the powdered sugar, then gently toss the cookie back and forth between your hands to shake off the excess sugar. Place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for about 10 minutes, or just until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown and the cookies are no longer shiny. Remove from the oven and let rest for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container when completely cooled.

NOTE: The baking time will depend on your oven, among other things. I found these cookies reached their best moment after nearly 20 minutes of baking (for full tablespoons), but start checking at about 9 minutes, and pull them out when you see the edges start to get just a little golden brown. With the time it'll take to get them from the oven to your counter, and then the time they'll rest, they'll be perfect when you move them to the rack. (And don't skip the resting stage, or you'll find half the cookie sticking to the paper when you try to pull it off.)

NOTE THE SECOND: Do not neglect to shake off the excess powdered sugar after rolling each cookie. If you leave thick patches of powdered sugar on the cookies, the dough underneath may not bake completely, and you may get little patches of sticky dough on the surface. Not a tragedy, but it does interfere with the texture you're going for here.

Last but not least: Be sure to let the cookies cool off completely before eating. They don't get that lovely crispness until they've set all the way.

Makes between 2 and 3 dozen, depending on the size of the cookie. Be sure to adjust your baking time if you decide to make smaller cookies.


Very easy, sweet and lemony, with a lovely crispness. Definitely a keeper, this one. :)

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Baking tip

Saturday, December 12th, 2015 04:04 pm
serai: A kiss between Casey Connor and Zeke Tyler (YouKnowYouWantItKaga)
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When making chocolate chip cookies, always bake on a light aluminum sheet, preferably lined with parchment. I went through four trays of cookies, wondering why no matter what I did they came out with burny bottoms, until I hauled out my aluminum sheet and tried that. (I don't use it much because it's insulated, which makes cleaning it more fussy than I like.) Voila! Nice golden bottoms that matched the tops of the cookies. The material you cook in really does matter a whole lot.

Also, beware of recipes that seem to jack up the oven temperature. This one said 375 F, but I've rarely seen any cookie recipe that goes over 350 F, certainly not chocolate chip. When I used the aluminum pan, I also lowered the temperature, and the combination did the trick. :)

.

Cards?

Thursday, December 10th, 2015 11:01 am
serai: A kiss between Casey Connor and Zeke Tyler (Yule Frodo)
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Oy, I'm SO crap at doing things in plenty of time...

Nevertheless, I'm getting to the holiday stuff, so if anyone would like a card, please leave a screened comment with your address, or you can PM me with it. I'll get them in the mail this week.


In other news... )
serai: A kiss between Casey Connor and Zeke Tyler (KarlJoint)
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...oh come, never come
Oh, come to me, beautiful rain...


-- Ladysmith Black Mombazo, Beautiful Rain


I've just spent a lovely 20 minutes sitting on my back steps, having a nice long smoke as I dig on the raindrops lacing my lemon tree like ropes of jewels.

Yes, we have RAIN!

At some point in the night, the sky opened up and we've been getting soaked since. The temp is coolish-warmish, which is very nice, and the air is full of that wet smell. It took a while to get Frodo to come in for his breakfast, because he so fucking hates to get wet, but once in he decided that's it for him, and is curled up on my bed doing his level best to forget the sky can even do that. (Casey, of course, didn't leave the house last night and so is now being annoyingly smug.)

I'm gonna cook up some bulgur for breakfast. That stuff is awesome. I've never been fond of oatmeal, so it's nice to find a cooked grain I can enjoy in the morning.

Am considering making some blackberry rugelach today, as I just got a tasty-looking jar of conserves at Trader Joe's. Since my brother's birthday was yesterday, I gotta make him a batch of cookies as my usual gift - baking comes in so handy when you've no money for gifts - so I'll take the opportunity to see if this stuff works for rugelach. I'm told I've gotten really good at making them. *buffs nails on lapel*

So begins the autumn.




Celebrate the Rain - Alice di Miceli

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