cooking ala mel

Chocolate Espresso Toffee Shortbread Cookies

December 11, 2011

My first semester of pharmacy school is winding down.. after more than 20 exams, I now only have two left, thank goodness. While I really should be studying for the one I have tomorrow, I was struck with the need to post something, anything really; it was lucky that I did some Christmas cookie baking Friday night to ease the long day I had (two exams, ugh). I gave my kitchen a much needed scrub down after about a week of dishes piling up due to a nasty cold, and I set to work on these cookies. It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything, but I have baked/cooked a few things here and there over the past month; if you asked me what I’ve eaten or cooked, I honestly couldn’t tell you. The last month of studying/being sick has eaten away at my memory…but anyway. To these cookies.

My sister, Jenny, is having a cookies and milk party a week before Christmas, so I made these little delights for that. It took me a while to figure out what cookie I was going to make, going through Pinterest daily when I had a bit of free time, searching for the best cookie. I ended up eschewing Pinterest and turning to my favorite blogs and found these babies on Smitten Kitchen. Deb adapted these from Dorie Greenspan, so I knew they’d be a winner. If you’re a shortbread fan, you’ll surely love these.

Deb mentioned adding toffee would be a fantastic idea for this shortbread, so I had to take her up on that, and I am SO glad I did. It adds an extra bit of depth to the flavor, making it almost hazelnutty with the combination of toffee and coffee. And a bit of chocolate is never a bad thing. The kitty tried to sample the dough while I was rolling it out within his domain (the table in our kitchen) – this is definitely a dough you’ll have a hard time keeping your fingers out of, especially since there’s no raw eggs to worry about. 🙂

I needed 9 dozen for the cookie exchange, so I quadrupled the recipe for some extras to give to some friends with their Christmas presents. I ended up with [almost] more cookies than I know what to do with; I didn’t do the final count at the end, but I do know I had at least 17 dozen… These cookies are really easy to make, so it was no problem whatsoever having that many. I really liked the way you rolled them out, although it was a bit of a waste of Ziploc bags – and it was quite a workout! Now that I’ve done a bit of holiday baking, I just want to do more and more..

Chocolate Espresso Toffee Shortbread Cookies
yields about 3 1/2 dozen
1 T instant espresso powder
1 T boiling water
2 sticks butter, softened (I used 1 salted & 1 unsalted)
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% chips)
2 oz. toffee bits

Dissolve the espresso powder into the boiling water and allow to cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the confectioner’s sugar and butter together until extremely smooth. Beat in the vanilla and cooled espresso until well blended. Add in the flour and mix on low until just incorporated – do not over mix! Fold in the chocolate and toffee bits.

With a spatula, spoon the dough into a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Leaving the top open, roll the dough out, filling the bag, until it’s 1/4″ thick. Peel the plastic away from the dough as you roll it to eliminate creases. Once rolled out, seal the bag and place in the fridge for about 2 hours (up to 2 days).

Preheat the oven to 325ºF, and remove the bag of dough from the fridge. On a cutting board, slit the bag open, and turn the dough out onto the cutting board. Using a ruler and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2″ squares. Place the squares onto a parchment/silicone lined baking sheet. Prick each square twice with a fork, pushing through until it hits the baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through (cookies should be very pale). Allow to cool on a wire rack, and serve once cooled. Can be frozen!

Browned Butter Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 22, 2011

Life’s been really busy, lately, and it’s only going to get busier.. so today, I’m relaxing, in a sense. I cleaned. I did laundry. I ate leftover pizza. There will be movie watching. Lots of kitty cuddles. And I made these cookies. None of these included studying, which was much, much needed after four exams this week.

Now, these cookies. We were out of eggs, so I was a little bit worried as to how they’d turn out without any..but it was fine. I’m including the egg in the recipe, because they really should have one, but it’s fine without. Browned butter and molasses really amp up the flavor in these cookies. Instead of your regular chocolate chip cookie, the browned butter adds a bit of depth, and the molasses gives it a bit of a caramel taste. A glass of milk is definitely preferred with these, and some good company to share them with is always a good idea. So make these cookies, and take some time to relax. Enjoy yourself; you deserve it.

Browned Butter Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

yields about 30 cookies

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 t baking soda

3/4 t salt

1 egg

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, browned

1 1/2 t vanilla

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli’s double chocolate bittersweet chips)

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, and keep cooking until the butter solids begin to brown (it will crack and pop – this is normal!). Pour the butter into a small bowl and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg, agave nectar and molasses and beat well. Add in the browned butter and vanilla; mix. Add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the cookie dough by the tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool and serve.

Pretzel Rolls

October 12, 2011

One of our favorite restaurants around the Buffalo area is Black and Blue Steak & Crab. It’s a bit on the pricy side for tight budgeted college students, but special occasions and local restaurant week always bring us back there. Their steak is seasoned to perfection and cooked just the way I like it. They have roasted chickpeas in their chopped salad, which I need to remember that I’d like to try to recreate.. but their fresh baked pretzel rolls, I always look forward to the most. I always make sure to be especially hungry just so I can have a few extra rolls. After making mini pretzel paninis this summer, it hit me just how easy these would be to recreate; I finally got to it this weekend. And oh goodness, are they heavenly.

These pretzel rolls are perfect slathered with butter, dipped in mustard, made into a ham&cheese sandwich, sprinkled with cheddar, on their own…and apparently they’re good as a green bean casserole sandwich (Alex is weird..)? Because I waited till the next day to take photos, and I kept them in a ziploc bag overnight, they condensed a bit, as pretzels usually do, so they look a little bit wrinkly. The taste was just the same, though, so I’m not too bothered. I froze half of them so we wouldn’t be obligated to eat them all at once.

Pretzel Rolls

makes about 14 rolls

2 1/2 t active dry yeast
2 T honey
1 1/2 cups warm water
5 T Earth Balance spread (or butter), melted
2 1/2 t salt
4 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda

1 egg

coarse salt

Combine the warm water, yeast and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; allow to sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy. Add in the Earth Balance and salt and stir. Slowly add in the flour while the mixer is running and allow to mix at a low speed until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl (should be smooth & elastic). Place the ball of dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has also been sprayed with oil. Allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
Divide the ball of dough into fourteen pieces. Roll into balls. Cover with the plastic wrap and allow to rise again for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF and bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot on the stove. Add the baking soda to the water and stir to dissolve.

Place the dough balls two at a time into the boiling baking soda bath. After about 30 seconds on each side (they should float up to the top), remove them and place on a paper towel to dry off. Transfer the boiled pieces of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a splash of cold water. Brush each pretzel roll with the egg wash, slash an X with a knife, and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
Bake about 25 minutes, until golden.