Bon Appetit Desserts (156 page)

This dough is baked into one giant shortbread-style cookie, which is then topped with coarsely crushed peppermint candies and drizzled with melted white chocolate. Once the chocolate is set, the cookie gets broken into irregular pieces that look spectacular when arranged upright at angles in a basket or bowl.
Makes about 24 pieces

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped into ⅓-inch pieces, divided

¾ cup coarsely crushed red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies (about 6 ounces), divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk melted butter, both sugars, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until just blended. Stir in 1 cup chopped white chocolate and ½ cup crushed peppermint candy.

Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet. Press dough into 14×8-inch rectangle, about ⅜ inch thick. Bake cookie until top is firm and dark golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on sheet 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.

Stir remaining white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Using small spoon, drizzle about half of melted chocolate in thin lines over cooled cookie. Sprinkle remaining crushed peppermint candies over chocolate. Drizzle remaining white chocolate over top. Let stand until white chocolate sets, about 1 hour. Break cookie into irregular 2- to 3-inch pieces.

DO AHEAD
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Cookie brittle can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Cinnamon-Almond Cookies

The nice thing about these simple, irresistible cookies is that you can have them anytime you’ve got a craving—the recipe makes a lot of dough, so you can freeze any extra that you don’t use. For impromptu entertaining, slice the still-frozen dough into rounds and pop them in the oven for a quick dessert. Serve with a cup of hot chai tea.
Makes about 12 dozen

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1¾ cups sliced or blanched slivered almonds

Sift flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in both sugars. Add egg and egg yolk; beat to blend. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add flour mixture and beat until dough comes together in moist clumps. Add almonds and knead gently in bowl with hands until blended.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each into 10-inch-long log, about 1¼ to 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap dough in 2 layers of plastic and place in freezer until frozen, at least 4 hours.

DO AHEAD
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Can be made 1 month ahead. Keep frozen.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Working with 1 log at a time, remove plastic and cut dough crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on heavy ungreased rimmed baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.

DO AHEAD
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Cookies can be made 4 days ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Chocolate-Espresso Cookies

These crisp, full-flavored wafers are a classic icebox-style cookie—meaning that they achieve their thinness by being formed into a log, chilled, and sliced before baking. Enjoy the cookies as a light, sophisticated finish to a dinner party.
Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated stick margarine, room temperature

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1½ tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg white

Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and margarine in large bowl until creamy. Add both sugars, espresso powder, and vanilla and beat until blended. Mix in egg white. Add flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Using hands, knead dough briefly in bowl until smooth.

Form dough into 14-inch-long, 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap log in waxed paper and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

DO AHEAD
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Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Slice cookie log crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place cookies on heavy large rimmed baking sheets. Bake cookies until cracked and almost firm to touch in center, reversing sheets from top to bottom oven racks after 7minutes, about 14 minutes total. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

DO AHEAD
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Cookies can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Chocolate-Mint Cookies

There’s a reason that Thin Mints are the best sellers of all Girl Scout cookies: The combination of a crisp chocolate-mint cookie topped with chocolate icing is irresistible. Now you can make your own any time of the year with this simple recipe. Note that the dough needs to chill for a couple of hours before you roll it out, so plan ahead. Dutch-process cocoa has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity. It has a milder, more delicate flavor and a darker, richer color than regular cocoa.
Makes about 3½ dozen

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ teaspoon peppermint extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in peppermint and vanilla extracts. Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).

Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using plastic as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours.

DO AHEAD
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Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap dough; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs. Cut logs crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely.

Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Dip fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies, drizzling melted chocolate thickly in zigzag pattern. Chill cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes.

DO AHEAD
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Can be made 1 week ahead. Chill in airtight container between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.

Caramel Cookies

This unusual cookie starts with a deep amber-colored homemade caramel. Brown sugar and flour are then added to form the dough. Once the dough is prepared, it needs to chill overnight before it’s sliced and baked, so be sure to begin making these crisp cookies a day ahead.
Makes about 4 dozen

¾ cup sugar

⅓ cup water

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, sifted (measured, then sifted)

Combine sugar and ⅓ cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard vanilla bean. Pour in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); add butter and whisk until smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and salt. Add flour and stir until well blended and dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured work surface; divide dough in half. Form each dough half into 9-inch-long log; wrap in plastic and chill overnight.