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B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2021
sodium; 27 mg calcium
— Recipe from “Baking” by
Dorie Greenspan
COOKIES
Continued from Page B1
deep indentations in one direc-
tion only. Refl our the fork each
time you use it; repeat with each
cookie.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes,
depending on the thickness of
the cookies. Reverse the cookie
sheets top to bottom and front
to back once during cooking to
ensure even baking. Do not allow
the cookies to brown — when
done, they should be a pale gold-
en color. Transfer the cookies to a
wire rack to cool.
7. These cookies will not be the
same size. Match them into even
pairs before fi lling them, and turn
them fl at-side up.
8. To make the fi lling, melt
the remaining 2 tablespoons of
butter in a small saucepan over
moderate heat. Bring to a boil
and cook until the butter browns
slightly; shake the pan gently
during the last part of heating to
keep the sediment from burning.
9. Remove from heat when the
butter has a rich golden color and
immediately add the powdered
sugar, vanilla and 5 teaspoons
of cream. Stir until completely
smooth. If necessary, add another
teaspoon or two of the cream to
make a thick fi lling. Transfer the
fi lling to a small custard cup or
bowl for ease in handling.
10. Place a scant spoonful
of the fi lling in the center of
a cookie. Repeat with 4 or 5
cookies. Cover each cookie with
its matching cookie and, as you
do so, press the cookies gently
together to spread the fi lling just
to the edges of your sandwich.
It will be easiest if you hold the
cookie in your hands so you can
turn them around to see where
the fi lling is going.
11. Repeat, fi lling the remain-
ing cookies, 4 or 5 at a time. The
fi lling will thicken as you work
with it, so when necessary stir in
a few drops of additional cream.
Add only a few drops at a time, to
keep from making the fi lling too
thin. Let the sandwiches stand for
a few hours for the fi lling to set.
Per serving: 163 calories; 8
g fat; 5 g saturated fat; 29 mg
cholesterol; 1 g protein; 21 g
carbohydrate; 2 g sugar; no fi ber;
4 mg sodium; 11 mg calcium
— Recipe from “Cookies are
Magic” by Maida Heatter
CHOCOLATE-
DIPPED
ORANGE
SHORTBREAD
Yield: About 54 servings
3 cups all-purpose fl our,
plus more for rolling and
cutting out dough
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) salted
butter, room temperature
1 cup fi rmly packed dark
brown sugar
1 large egg
Grated zest of 1 orange
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped
1. In a medium bowl, whisk
together the fl our, baking
powder and salt. In a large bowl
or stand mixer set on high speed,
beat the butter and brown sugar
until combined, about 1 minute.
Beat in the egg, followed by the
orange zest, orange juice and
vanilla. With the mixer on low
speed, mix in the fl our mixture
until just combined.
2. Divide the dough in half
and shape each half into a thick
disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and
refrigerate until chilled, about 2
hours. (The dough can be refrig-
erated for up to 2 days; if it is too
Family Friendly
Location!
PECAN
SQUARES
Yield: 24 servings
For the shortbread layer
Softened butter for the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose fl our
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks)
cold, salted butter, cut
into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup granulated sugar
For the topping layer
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) salted
butter, cut into tablespoons
1/2 cup fi rmly packed
dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Grade B pure maple
syrup, see note
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Note: Grade B maple syrup
can be hard to fi nd. If you
can’t fi nd it, use Grade A.
Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
Holiday cookies.
fi rm to roll out, let stand at room
temperature for 15 to 30 minutes
to soften slightly).
3. Position the oven racks in
the top third and center of the
oven and preheat the oven to
325 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed
baking sheets with parchment
paper or silicone baking mats.
4. Working with 1 disk at a
time, briefl y knead the dough on
a lightly fl oured work surface until
smooth. Roll out the dough to 1/8
inch thick. Dip a 2 1/2-inch round
cookie cutter or another shape
of similar size in fl our and cut out
cookies, cutting them as close
together as possible to avoid
excess scraps.
5. Arrange the rounds 1 inch
apart on the prepared baking
sheets. Gather up the dough
scraps and gently knead togeth-
er, and cut out more cookies. If
the dough becomes too soft to
roll out, refrigerate until chilled.
Refrigerate any remaining
dough while you bake the fi rst
batch.
6. Bake, rotating the positions
of the sheets from top to bottom
and from front to back halfway
through baking, until the cookies
are lightly browned on the edges
and bottoms, about 20 minutes.
The cookie tops will not brown, but
do not underbake them. Let cool
on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Transfer to wire cooling racks and
let cool completely. Repeat with
the remaining dough.
7. To dip the cookies, line baking
sheets with parchment paper or
baking mats. Put the chocolate in
a microwave-safe medium bowl.
Heat the chocolate on medium,
stirring at 30-second intervals, until
fully melted. Let stand, stirring
occasionally, until the chocolate
has cooled to 89 degrees on an
instant-read thermometer.
8. One at a time, dip one half
of each cookie into the chocolate.
Drag the bottom of the cookie
across the rim of the bowl to re-
move excess chocolate, and place
the cookie on the baking sheet. If
the chocolate cools and thickens,
warm in the microwave for 15
seconds at medium power. Let the
cookies stand until the chocolate
sets and they can be easily lifted
from the baking sheet, about 1
hour.
Per serving: 71 calories; 4 g fat; 2
g saturated fat; 12 mg cholesterol;
1 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 4 g
sugar; no fi ber; 40 mg sodium; 15
mg calcium
— Recipe from “Baking for
Friends” by Kathleen King
SUGAR-
TOPPED
MOLASSES
SPICE COOKIES
Yield: 24 servings
2 1/3 cups all-purpose fl our
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch (small or large, your
choice) of cracked or coarsely
ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2
sticks) unsalted butter,
room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 large egg
About 1/2 cup granulated
sugar, for rolling
1. Whisk together the fl our, bak-
ing soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon,
allspice and pepper.
2. Working with a stand mixer
fi tted with a paddle attachment or
with a hand mixer in a large bowl,
beat the butter on medium speed
until smooth and creamy. Add the
brown sugar and molasses and
beat for 2 minutes or so to blend,
scraping down the sides of the
bowl as needed.
3. Add the egg and beat for 1
minute more. Reduce the mixer
speed to low and add the dry
ingredients, mixing just until the
fl our and spices disappear. If some
fl our remains in the bottom of the
bowl, to avoid overbeating the
dough, mix in the last of the dry
ingredients by hand with a rubber
spatula. The dough will be smooth
and very soft.
4. Divide the dough in half and
wrap each piece in plastic wrap.
Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate
for at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.
5. Center a rack in the oven and
preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with parch-
ment or silicone mats.
6. Place the granulated sugar
in a small bowl. Working with one
packet of dough at a time, divide it
into 12 pieces and roll each piece
into a small ball between your
palms. One by one, roll the balls
around in the bowl of sugar, then
place them on one of the baking
sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass
into the sugar and use it to press
down on the cookies until they are
between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.
7. Bake the cookies one sheet
at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or
until the tops feel set to the touch.
Remove the baking sheet from
the oven and, if the cookies have
spread and are touching, use the
edge of a metal spatula to separate
them while they are still hot. Trans-
fer the cookies to a rack to cool at
room temperature.
Per serving: 167 calories; 6 g fat;
4 g saturated fat; 23 mg cholester-
ol; 2 g protein; 27 g carbohydrate;
18 g sugar; no fi ber; 162 mg
1. Position an oven rack in the
center of the oven and preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a
13-by-9-inch baking pan. Line the
bottom and the 2 short ends with
a 20-inch long piece of aluminum
foil, pleating the foil to fi t and let-
ting the excess foil hang over the
ends. Lightly butter the foil.
2. To make the shortbread layer:
In a medium bowl, mix the fl our,
butter and sugar with an electric
mixer set on low speed until just
combined and crumbly. Do not
mix into a dough; it should remain
crumbly. Press fi rmly and evenly
into the prepared pan. Bake until
golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let
stand on a wire cooling rack. Leave
the oven on.
3. To make the topping: In a me-
dium saucepan, bring the butter,
brown sugar, honey, maple syrup
and heavy cream to a boil, stirring
until the butter melts. Boil for 2
minutes. Remove from heat and
stir in the pecans. Pour and spread
the pecan mixture over the crust.
4. Return to the oven and bake
until the pecan mixture is bubbling
and golden brown around the
edges, about 30 minutes. Let cool
completely in the pan on a wire
cooling rack.
5. Run a dinner knife around the
edges of the shortbread to release
it. Lift up the foil “handles” and
remove the shortbread from the
pan. Using a long, sharp knife, cut
into 24 rectangles.
Per serving: 162 calories; 11 g
fat; 7 g saturated fat; 29 mg choles-
terol; 1 g protein; 18 g carbohy-
drate; 11 g sugar; no fi ber; 85 mg
sodium; 8 mg calcium
— Recipe from “Baking for
Friends” by Kathleen King
CINNAMON
BUN COOKIES
Yield: 24 cookies
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks)
unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
extract, divided
1 1/2 cups all-purpose fl our
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup heavy cream
1. In a medium-sized mixing
bowl, cream together 1/2 cup of
the powdered sugar, the butter,
the salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of
the vanilla extract. Add the fl our,
stirring just enough to make a
cohesive dough. Flatten the dough
into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap
and refrigerate at least 2 hours or
until you’re ready to use it.
2. On a piece of parchment or
waxed paper, roll the dough into a
9-by-12-inch rectangle. In a small
bowl, mix together the egg white
and water. In a diff erent small bowl,
mix together the granulated sugar
and cinnamon. Brush the dough
with the egg white glaze. Sprinkle
evenly with the cinnamon mixture.
3. Starting with the long edge,
roll the dough into a log, sealing
the edge. Wrap in plastic wrap or
parchment and freeze until fi rm.
4. Preheat the oven to 350
degrees. grease 2 baking sheets
or line with parchment paper. Re-
move the dough from the freezer
and unwrap it. With a sharp knife,
gently cut it into 1/2-inch slices.
Transfer slices to the prepared
baking sheets.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes,
until they’re a light golden brown.
Transfer to a rack to cool.
6. When cookies are com-
pletely cool, sift the remaining
1 cup of powdered sugar into
a medium-size bowl. Whisk the
cream into the sugar to make a
smooth glaze. Stir in the remaining
1 teaspoon vanilla. If not using
immediately, cover with plastic
wrap until ready to use, to prevent
a crust from forming.
7. Drizzle or brush cookies with
glaze.
Per serving: 120 calories; 6 g fat;
4 g saturated fat; 15 mg cholester-
ol; 1 g protein; 16 g carbohydrate;
10 g sugar; no fi ber; 52 mg sodium;
3 mg calcium
— Recipe from “The King Arthur
Flour Cookie Companion”
WHITE
CHOCOLATE
CHUNK
MACADAMIA
COOKIES
Yield: 40 servings
3/4 cup lightly packed very
fresh dark brown sugar
1/2 cup quick (1-minute) oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose fl our,
spooned in and leveled
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted
butter, slightly fi rm
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces fi ne-quality white
See, Cookies/Page B8
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