Chocolate Filled Italian Cookies

My Grandma has made these cookies every Christmas since I can remember.  I was never a big fan of them until I became an adult.  Her cookies were always a little drier than I liked, so I added some much needed cream cheese to the dough.  It makes them tender and really quite yummy.  They look so pretty on a tray too!




CHOCOLATE FUDGE FILLED ITALIAN COOKIES
recipe adapted from Jo Cali

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. shortening or butter
• 1/3 brick of cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 c. AP flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 c. milk

FILLING:

• 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts) chopped

DIRECTIONS

Cream cream cheese, shortening and brown sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix.  Whisk dry ingredients together and add to cream cheese mixture alternatively with milk until combined.  Turn out onto floured surface and divide into quarters.  Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.  Roll each out on floured surface into rectangle, about 7"x10" (roughly, can be bigger) until about 1/4" thick.

For filling, melt chocolate chips in microwave for 30 second increments, mixing in between each until melted.  Add sweetened condensed milk and mix well and microwave for another 30 seconds.  Add nuts if desired.  Spread 1/4 onto middle of prepared dough, going out to the edges in length.  Fold over and seal.  Carefully transfer to greased cookie sheets, seam side down an bake @ 350 for 15-20 min, until just set touch.  Over baking, or browning will make a drier cookie.

Let cool on cooling rack and wrap in foil.  Frost with cutout butter cream just before serving and slice.  These freeze very well.  Freeze and take out and frost before serving.

Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

Another new cookie that I had never made before.  Not my favorite cookie to be sure.  But they were tasty and are very pretty on a plate.  They are very easy and for that reason, I will probably make them again.  I will try to tweak the recipe each time to make the cookie better.  Let you know if I get a better result!

CREAM CHEESE SPRITZ COOKIES

 INGREDIENTS:

• 2-1/2 c. sifted flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. softened butter
• 1 3 oz package cream cheese
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg yolk, and beaten
• 1 tsp. or vanilla or other liqueur or flavoring (I used 1 tsp coconut and 1/2 tsp almond)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Sift and combine flour, salt, and cinnamon. Beat butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Add sugar, while let a time, beating after each addition until well blended. Beat in 1 yolk and vanilla.

Sift and add dry ingredients to butter mixture and blend all together well. Packed dough into cookie press. Press onto cold cookie sheets. Top with sprinkles before baking.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until just set to touch.  Place on cooling rack.

Gingerbread Cookies

I love gingerbread cookies.  My mom didn't make them when I was growing up that I can recall.  She made about every other cookie known to man, but not gingerbread.  This was my new cookie of the year a few years ago and every year since, they are a must make.  I am a chewy cookie kinda girl so I cook them just until they are set and then decorate them with my cutout frosting.  Now, I love ginger.  Brad likes it in sweets, but not in regular food.  I love it in everything!  And these cookies have a wonderful ginger flavor balanced with the richness of the molasses!  I am in ginger heaven with them!  They have a wonderful color and are delicious!  And Annalise gobbles them up while snubbing every other ginger cookie out there.  YUM!

 

 

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

adapted recipe from food.com

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus some for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended. In a large bowl (KitchenAid's great for this) beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.  Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended.  May still be a bit crumbly..  Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.  (Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days) Return to room temp for 10 min before using. Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.  Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick.  Use additional flour to avoid sticking.  Cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the ginger bread man is our favorite of course.  Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.  

Bake time for 5-8 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies-- very good! and will depend on how thick your cookies are).  
Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack. After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.  Can brush them with a powdered sugar glaze, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.

Cut Outs/ Sugar Cookies

So every family has a cutout recipe they swear by, I am sure.  But I have tasted a lot of cutouts, and none compare with my mom's.  They are sooo good!  We use a butter cream icing.  These are not for the faint of heart.  There will be casualties while baking, and the sacrifice you must pay is eating those that have given themselves so freely for your consumption.  Now, just try them.  If you don't want to make them at Christmas, try them at least on another occasion.  Make some hearts for your sweetheart on Valentine's day, or some shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day.  But try them!  This recipe is doubled already so it will make a lot.  You can half it if you don't want as many.  Enjoy the best cut out sugar cookie there is!



CUTOUT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups AP flour
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups softened butter (4 sticks)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla ext.

DIRECTIONS:
 Suagr
Sift dry ingredients (or mix in mixer) add butter mix until incorporated (or w/ fork).  Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix until incorporated well, but don't over mix.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out to scant 1/4" thick. Cut out with favorite shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Bake until just set, not browned at all and remove to cooling rack immediately.  Will be very fragile but will firm up as they sit. 

CUT OUT FROSTING

1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
1/2c. milk
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract


Mix butter and vegetable shortening until blended well.  Add extracts to milk.  Add sugar and mix on low, adding milk slowly.  Mix until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Frost and cover with sprinkles.

Florentines

One of my all time favorite indulgences are florentines!  I used to buy them from Trader Joes, but stopped because I would eat the entire container by myself!  So I decided to try my hand at them.  I was going to make rolled almond wafers, which is basically like this, but they are too finicky and thought this sounded like more fun and easier.  I decided to change it up and use cashews instead of traditional almonds and it did not disappoint!  May sound funny, but I could not find unsalted cashews, so I rinsed mine and dried them well on a paper towel and them used my chopper to chop them finely.  I also omitted the salt figuring there would be some salt left on them.  I made sandwiches with them and they are light, butter, crunchy and sooo good!

 

FLORENTINES 

adapted from Food Network Kitchens

 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups unsalted cashews
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about a tablespoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla ext.

Chocolate Topping, optional:

• 2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or choc. chips

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Pulse the cashew (or almonds) in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty, or chop with hand chopper. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.
Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. 
Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread. (For small about 8 per cookie sheet)   Roll the rest while first batch is cooking as the batter will make it hard to roll as it sits.  (learned the hard way)
Bake until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Optional chocolate topping:

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30 second increments stirring each time.  Mix in tbsp crisco on second 30 second run.  Takes 2 min. or less total)
For sandwiches: Spread a teaspoon melted choc. onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.
For chocolate decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.

Paradise Macaroons

So, these were my new cookie last year, and I must say, they are one of my absolute favorites now!  They are delicious right out the oven, "A bit of heaven" my husband said.  But I think they are best when complete.  This year, I doubled the recipe!  Last year I topped them with macadamia nuts, and this year with pistachios.  Either way they are positively delicious, and so easy!  

PARADISE MACAROONS 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paradise-macaroons-recipe/index.html  adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 15 oz packages sweetened shredded coconut
• 3 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• pinch salt 
• 1 tsp vanilla ext.
• 4 large egg whites at room temperature
• 5 ounces granulated sugar
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 ounce veg. shortening
• 2 ounces finely chopped dry-roasted macadamia nuts or pistachios

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the coconut with the sweetened condensed milk, salt and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip the whites until medium peaks form, 6 to 7 minutes.
Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately transfer the parchment with the macaroons to a cooling rack. Cool completely before topping.
Fill a 4-quart pot with enough water to come 2 inches up the side, set over medium heat and bring to a simmer Combine the chocolate chips and shortening in a small metal or glass mixing bowl and set over the simmering pot. Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from the heat.  (can also heat in microwave in 30 sec. increments, stirring in between until melted.  Takes about 2 min this way)*
Dip the cooled cookies in the choc. mixture,  or spread on top with spoon (works just as well)  sprinkle with the chopped macadamia nuts or pistachios and place on parchment paper to set, about 30 minutes.

*I do my choc. in batches so I can top them as them come out and the choc. is fresh.  for the second batch.

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

Ok, so I know Thanksgiving is over, but I can hardly be done with pumpkin.  I include one in my Christmas baking because they are so good.  This is a spiced cake-like cookie that is very soft and has a brown sugar icing.  They are a favorite around here and anywhere I have brought them, they are a hit.  They are very easy and cool in minutes so can be frosted right away which is wonderful for an impatient person like me!  This recipe came from my Aunt Laurie and we have all been making them since the first time we tasted them!

  Enjoy!

FROSTED PUMPKIN COOKIES

• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
• 1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 c. of oil (I substitute half of this with drained applesauce)
• 2/3 c. raisins
• 1/3 c. chopped nuts like pecans (opt.)

 FROSTING 

• 3 TBSP softened butter
• 4 tsp milk and some to thin
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.  Mix wet ingredients and whisk together dry ingredients.  Stir together until no more flour can be seen.  Will be a sticky thick batter.  Use small cookie scoop to put on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 11-14 min, until just set and spring back to the touch.  Do not overcook! 

While baking mix frosting.  Mix together and thin with milk if needed, but only after all mixed.  Frosting will be thicker than a butter cream.

Remove from oven, let cool and frost when cool.