Anise Seed Biscotti

Ingredients: 

6 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon Anise Seed

1 cup ground almonds

2 cups flour (or a little more until it's not too sticky to form into a loaf shape)

Almond bark or white chocolate for dipping

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Directions: 

Heat oven to 375*F.

Set chocolate into double boiler to melt.

Cream butter and sugar. Add each additional ingredient (except chocolate), in order, mixing well between each new addition.

Shape dough into 2 9-10 inch logs, flatten into a loaf shape, on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375* for 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove logs to cutting board. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, or until it's cool enough to handle.

Reduce oven temperature to 325*F.

Using a serrated knife, slice crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Carefully transfer each slice back to another parchment lined sheet, cut side down. You can place them close, not touching, they won't spread.

Bake slices for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Too cool quickly, slide parchment off the cookie sheet and onto counter. Once cookies are cool, they can be dipped in chocolate. Once they are dipped, lay them back onto a clean sheet of parchment. You can reuse the parchment, just shake off the crumbs.

Allow to cool before storing. 

After mixing up the dough, I like to divide it into two loaves for easier handling. 

I make a log almost as long as the cookie sheet, then pat it on top to flatten it out a bit. 

It might be 3 inches across. It does puff up while baking. Leave space between them.

Out of the oven after the first baking. 

I move the loaf to the cutting board, with hot mitts on. I only let it cool enough to move it. 

I slice into roughly 1/4 inch slices. It can be a little crumbly, so not TOO thin. 

I tip the slices onto the knife and move them to the cookie sheet again for the second baking. 

Here they are all ready to bake again. I try to give a little space between them so 

the heat and dry them. Sometimes it's a tight fit. Back into the oven they go. 

While the cookies are baking, I melt the almond bark for dipping. Make-shift double boiler. 

Once the cookies start to brown a little, they come out and cool completely. 

Then they get dipped and laid out on parchment paper to dry before packing 

away in an airtight container. 

Space between them so they don't stick together. 

Once they are cool and solid,they can be packaged for 

gift giving or storage. 

A lovely addition to my Christmas cookie ensemble. 

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

 

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped toasted pistachios

1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries

Optional: Extra sugar for dusting the tops

Directions

Cream your butter and sugar. 

Add the egg and vanilla and make sure everything is mixed completely. 

Add in measured baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Slowly add your flour. After the flour is completely incorporated, add the cranberries and pistachios. Just mix until they are spread evenly through the dough. 

Divide the dough in half, wrapping each half in plastic wrap in a log shape. The logs should be about 1.5 inches thick. Chill until firm, at least 20 minutes.

When ready to bake, Preheat your oven to 350* F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice dough 1/4-inch thick. Dip each cut cookie into sugar (for a sparkly top). Place each cookie onto parchment prepared trays, leaving about 2 inches space between each.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Don't overbake them.

Chop the nuts and berries. 

Wrap dough in plastic wrap to rest in the fridge.

I slice them right on the wrap. 

Slice 1/4 inch slices and dip into sugar for a glittery look.

An easy find at Walmart at the holidays. 

Sparkly

These store nicely for holiday gift giving.

Can you see the little bit of sparkle on the top? 

It's a natural for Christmas with red and green cranberries and pistacios. 

Cardamom Cookies

I really like Cardamom and I went looking for cookies I could make with it. I found these and they are very unique in the world of cookies. 

This recipe made 5 dozen cookies using my small scoop.

*************** Parchment Paper lined cookie sheet *************

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cups flour

16oz. butter, room temperature

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

(+ extra cardamom and powdered sugar for dusting)

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Preheat oven to 350*F

In your mixer, beat the butter and spices until well mixed and fluffy. Add egg, mix again. Add sugar and beat until thoroughly mixed, stopping to scrape down the bowl sides if it's not mixing completely. Lastly, add the flour, on lowest speed, a little bit at a time, to avoid throwing it out onto the counter and you. It will be a dense dough, go slowly. Stop mixer and scrape down sides again as needed. 

Once your dough is homogenous, roll out rounded tablespoons full into balls, or use your small scoop. Leave about 2 inches between them.  Once they are onto your parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten them with a glass to about 2 inches wide. If you use a small piece of parchment under your glass, you won't have any trouble with sticking. 

Bake at 350* for 13-15 minutes. They will be lightly browned. Allow them to cool completely on the parchment paper, which you can pull off your cookie sheet onto the counter. Once they are cool, give them a dusting with a mixture of powdered sugar and cardamom powder. Keep them wrapped and in the fridge and they will last a long time for snacking. 

I didn't want to crowd them, so only one dozen on the tray. 

I use a glass with parchment paper to flatten them to about 2 inches across.

Still plenty of space between. They will continue to spread out. 

Browned but not too browned. 

A light dusting of cardamom and powdered sugar. 

Don't they look delicious? They truly are! 

Scotch Shortbread

8th cookie in the series. This is a REALLY impressive cookie. It's incredibly simple to make, but the taste is unique and memorable.

1 cup butter

1/2 sugar

2 cups flour

3/4 cup rice flour

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Directions:

Let me say that I've tried a good number of shortbread recipes. This one has that certain "something" that makes it unique. It has four simple ingredients. I found the rice flour in the natural food section of my local grocery, not in the baking aisle. I used to have to really search, Whole Foods and places like that. Not any more. :)

This dough needs to be baked as soon as it made, so don't chill this dough.

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Cream the butter and sugar. Gradually add in the flour and rice flour. It's not a wet dough. Go slow or the mixer will throw it all out at you. You can knead it in like bread dough if you are so inclined.

Pat the dough out on the counter. You are aiming for about 5 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. A bit thinner is ok.

I use the ruler for measuring as well as helping to make the sides of my rectangle flat. Watch the pictures. below. Then cut into the smaller rectangles as pictured. Peirce with a fork like I show here. Don't neglect this step. This design "says" Shortbread. :)

Lift with small spatula, separate into pieces and bake 8-10 minutes on parchment lined sheets. They puff up and elongate while baking. Leave room between the cookies. 

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Step By Step:

Rice Flour, the magic ingredient. The brand is not important. 

This is the finished dough. It looks crumbly. But watch...

I dumped it out onto the counter.

I've done nothing more than pushing it together. It's a lovely soft dough, so easily worked. Do not chill this dough before baking.  I've made a double batch, so I'll cut this into two balls of dough.

OK, just eyeball it...

OK, aiming for 5 inches across... this will do. I just patted it out with my hand. I use the edge of the ruler to push it flat when it gets out of line.

It's between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick... ok.

First cuts. In half lengthwise and then those halves cut again, lengthwise. 4 strips.

Then start on one side and start cutting strips about 3/4 inch wide. Not too big... They grow in the oven.

Admit it, you've been wanting to poke something all day. Now is your chance. The cookies should be "just" wide enough to fit the fork, two pokes per cookie. :)

Separate them for baking. I know that this looks like a LOT of space. But they puff up while baking. 

I thought I'd show you how I just push the sides flat against the ruler. It's a fairly amiable dough, but it's fragile. It crumbles if you say a harsh word. You'll see. Easy to work with, just go slow. Wait till it melts in your mouth... then you'll understand the fragile part. :)

I tried to get a shot of the cookies as they come out of the oven. They are barely browned on the edge by the pan. If they are "browned" you've baked too long. This is another reason why I like baking on parchment paper. If you have a cookie that really shouldn't brown, how can you tell when it's sitting on a dark pan? It's easy to see if it's sitting on white paper. I can't tell you all the reasons why I love using parchment and would never go without it again.

I turned one on it's side so you could see how delicately it browned underneath. DO try this recipe. The whole thing took 10 minutes to whip up and it bakes in no time at all. And to add the squarish shape to your cookie assortment is a great idea too. I hate the thought of everything on the cookie plate being uniform.