Recipes and article from the Detroit News
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130418/LIFESTYLE05/304180333/1463/LIFESTYLE05
A Flavor Tango
A Flavor Tango | Cornmeal, Lemon, and Cayenne.
A delicious lemon and cornmeal cookie. Wait a minute… just when the cookie is nearly gone, cayenne flickers along the sides of your tongue. A Flavor Tango freezes well and is a great take-anywhere cookie. Goes great with a glass of wine or a football game. Skeptics of savory cookies rave about the combination of refreshing lemon and the cookie’s unexpected ending.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
Step 2:
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Step 3:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix in egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Scoop or spoon and round teaspoon size balls and place 2″ apart on parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake at 375° for 12 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Refrescante
Refrescante | Cornmeal, Parmesan Cheese, Cream Cheese, and Jalapeno Pepper.
Inspired by a Mexican sope, Refrescante’s base is a flaky sweet-corn crunch. Filled with Parmesan, cream cheese, lemon, and jalapeno, the combination of the cookie’s base and its cool, spicy center creates a wonderful hot-cool sensation.
Ingredients
Step 1:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
Step 2:
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 large egg yolks
Step 3:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon coarse salt
Step 4:
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¾ cup cream cheese, room temperature
3 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ cup fresh or canned jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (with juice if canned)
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix in zest, juice, and yolks.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Shape balls of dough into 1″ in diameter, rustic boat shapes 2″ apart on parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake at 350° for 12 minutes, or until bottoms are golden.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 4:
In a separate bowl, mix cheeses, lemon juice, and jalapeno until smooth.
Adjust consistency with lemon juice so that it is soft enough to not crack the cookie boats when filling.
Fill cookies.
Keep refrigerated until serving.
Trail Mix
Trail Mix | Trail Mix, Biscotti Style
I like to eat trail mix while driving and hiking; however, I am destined to drop pieces in my lap and on the trail. As such, I decided to create a cookie that was secondarily a cookie and primarily a way to eat trail mix with one hand on the steering wheel or carrying a water bottle. You can use any favorite trail mix for this recipe. The biscotti-style bake gives the cookie a bit of crisp, although not as much as a true biscotti. My favorite trail mix has large pieces of almonds; yours may be completely different. In both cases, this light cookie satisfies in its supporting role.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
Step 2:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Step 3:
2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt (a small amount of salt to taste since most trail mix is salted)
Step 4:
2½ cups trail mix
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix in eggs and vanilla.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Stir into above.
Step 5:
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Shape into a loaf 10″ x 3″ x ¾”
Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, until the dough begins to golden.
Cool for 30 minutes.
Slice with a large, sharp knife (to cleanly cut through nuts) into ½” sections so that each piece is ½” x 3″ x ¾”. For a biscotti appearance, slice at a diagonal. For a trail bar appearance, slice straight.
Lay each piece on its side on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
A Sweet Moment and a Salty Tongue
A Sweet Moment and a Salty Tongue | Chocolate, Caramel, and Coarse Salt.
Once in Las Vegas, I tried a truffle chocolate filled with caramel and sprinkled with rock salt. I went back a couple weeks later only to find out it was a special offering and no longer available. Well then, I decided to make it a cookie. For A Sweet Moment and a Salty Tongue, the base is milk chocolate rather than dark; either will do. After a few tries with the caramel, I now have the cream ratio right so that the caramel remains soft but not gooey for days. These addictive cookies taste great, and the coarse salt “tang” feels great.
Ingredients
Step 1:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
½ cup chopped solid chocolate candy bar, your favorite
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Step 2:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Step 3:
2 Tablespoons milk
Step 4:
30-36 milk caramel candies
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons coarse salt
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar, chocolate, and cocoa powder.
Step 2:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 3:
Add milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until dense but not sticky.
Form dough into 1″ balls and place 2″ apart on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake at 325° for 5 minutes. Take out of the oven and use your thumb or spoon to indent the top of the cookie thumbprint.
Continue baking for 10 minutes (15 minutes total).
If you prefer a lot of caramel, deepen the thumbprint with the back of a teaspoon when the cookies come out of the oven.
The cookies do not brown, they are cakelike.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 4:
For smaller batches, microwave 10-12 caramels and 1 Tablespoon heavy cream for 30 seconds. Then stir.
For a full batch, microwave 30-36 caramels and 3 Tablespoons heavy cream for 30 seconds. Then stir and microwave for an additional 15 seconds or until soft.
Dollop caramel onto each cookie thumbprint.
Sprinkle coarse salt on top as desired.
Late Night Craving
Late Night Craving | Buttermilk, Maple Syrup, and Bacon.
Isn’t it strange how a brief thought about pancakes can become a true craving at the oddest hour? Late-Night Craving satisfies with both texture and flavor: pancakes and maple syrup with a chaser of bacon. You never know when the urge will strike, so freezing some scoops of cookie dough for baking anytime is a forward-thinking thing to do.
Prep: 8 large or 12 medium slices of bacon; cooked, drained, and cooled.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
Step 2:
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
½ cup buttermilk
Step 3:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Step 4:
8-12 pieces of cooked bacon
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix in egg, maple syrup, and buttermilk.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Crumble bacon and fold into the dough.
Scoop or drop rounded Tablespoon size cookies 2″ apart on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are pancake gold.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Craving more sweet? Top with either
Butter Frosting: 4 Tablespoons softened butter, 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 cup powdered sugar, mixed well.
Or
Cream Cheese Frosting: ¼ cup cream cheese, ¼ cup softened butter, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1½ cups powdered sugar, mixed well.
Delectable
Delectable | Caramelized Pear, Crystallized Ginger, and Walnut | Yield about 2 dozen.
Inspired by caramelized pear desserts in high-end restaurants, Delectable’s Bosc pears with underlying butter and brown sugar fuse with the cookie’s shortbread-style base and subtle walnut and crystallized ginger flavors. This cookie packs well and makes a great gift given in a basket or a tin.
Ingredients
Step 1:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
Step 2:
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped
Step 3:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fresh grated or powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Step 4:
¾ cup walnuts, chopped near fine
Step 5:
3½ cups Bosc pears, chopped/slivered
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugars.
Step 2:
Mix into above.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Stir into above. Press dough into a lightly buttered 9×13 or comparable baking dish.
Step 5:
Spread pears over the dough in pan.
Sprinkle brown sugar over pears.
Dribble butter over pears and brown sugar.
Bake at 375 ° for 40 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.
Let cool for 15 minutes.
Cut into squares and serve.
Pesto
Pesto | Walnuts, Orange Zest, Parmesan, and Fresh Basil | Yield about 2 dozen.
Inspired by pesto I see on pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches, this cookie offers a familiar, savory flavor as it celebrates the cookie. Walnuts, orange zest, and Parmesan cheese add an interesting bit of flavor, and fresh basil finishes the cookie with a delicious closing taste. Refrigerated for a couple of hours or frozen for 30 minutes, the dough slices nicely and you can use a slice of basil leaf for decoration. The texture is between cookie and shortbread, a little dense and a little crumbly.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
Step 2:
2 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
1 Tablespoons orange zest
Step 3:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Step 4:
If desired, basil leaves for cookie decoration as shown in photo above
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix into above.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Form dough into a 2″ log wrapped in parchment paper or waxed paper. Press log on counter so that it forms a rectangular shape rather than a round shape.
Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slice dough ¼” thin.
Arrange slices on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut small decorative basil leaf, press onto cookie.
Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are a light golden brown.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Pink-a-Dot
Pink-a-Dot | Pink Grapefruit and Poppy Seed | Yield about 3 dozen.
I love pink grapefruit and had fun finding the perfect combination for this cookie. I settled on this recipe that is both crispy and soft. The poppy seeds add a spot of personality and the light glaze feels good on the tongue without the sugary blast of a frosting. These cookies go great with tea or coffee, or even with a too-early-in-the-morning diet soda.
Ingredients
Step 1:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
Step 2:
3 Tablespoons grapefruit zest
¼ cup grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Step 3:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons poppy seed
Step 4:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
3 Tablespoons grapefruit juice
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix into above.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Form dough into a 2″ log wrapped in parchment paper or waxed paper. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Step 4:
Slice dough 1/8″ thin.
Arrange slices 2″ apart on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake at 325° for 13-15 minutes, or until bottoms are a light golden brown.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Whisk together powdered sugar, grapefruit juice, and zest.
Paint a thin coating of glaze on the top of each cookie.
