Real Snacks (8 page)

Although these peanut butter cookies may not have the traditional Nutter Butter shape, they are just as tasty. For best results, use freshly ground peanut butter. It’s easy to make your own at home in a food processor, or you can freshly grind your own in many supermarkets
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Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 4 tablespoons of the butter, ¼ cup of the peanut butter, and the powdered sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the cookie filling to a small bowl and set aside.

Sift the white spelt flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In the same mixer bowl, beat the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the remaining ¼ cup peanut butter, the honey, and the sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg white and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until well blended.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Fill a cookie press fitted with your choice of cutter disc and chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Press out cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies. If you don’t have a cookie press, cover the dough with
plastic wrap, chill, and scoop out teaspoon-sized rounds. Flatten each of the rounds with the bottom of a cup.

Bake until golden on the edges, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Spread the reserved cookie filling on the flat sides of half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies.

My version of the Fig Newton takes its inspiration from Kim Boyce, owner of BAKESHOP in Portland, Oregon. Her lovely, malty buckwheat fig scones look rather outrageous—they resemble purple pastry snail shells—but they are heavenly. So don’t be scared when these fig cookies aren’t their normal shade of tan; along with the slightly purple tint comes a cookie so tender and jammy, you’ll never think of the originals again
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To make the filling, in a small saucepan soak the figs in the hot water for 15 minutes. Add the honey and cook the figs over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the syrup is a light caramel color, about 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, salt, lemon juice, and port, if using. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the figs are softened and the liquid has become thick, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled completely, transfer it to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the butter and pulse to blend. Store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

To make the cookies, sift the whole-wheat pastry flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade (or into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Then, with the food processor running, slowly stream in
the cream. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside. Lightly flour a piece of parchment. Set the chilled dough onto the parchment, lightly flour, and top with another piece of parchment. Roll the dough out to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Then cut the dough into four 12-by-4-inch strips. Spoon the fig filling into the middle of each strip, and then fold the long edges together, pinching to seal. Place the logs onto the prepared baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut each chilled log into 2-inch cookies and place back on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Bake until firm and a touch golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Don’t you love it when a mistake turns into something amazing? Rumor has it that Pepperidge Farm’s Milano cookies came to be because their predecessor, Naples, got stuck together in transit. Sandwiching two of the chocolate-dipped wafers solved that problem and created an entirely new cookie. I have a particular weakness for the chocolate–orange and chocolate–mint versions. For Chocolate and Mint Wafers (similar to Mint Milanos), replace the orange zest with 2 drops of peppermint oil and the orange juice with milk
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sift the white whole-wheat flour, white spelt flour, ground millet flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat another minute until light. Stir in the vanilla and orange juice. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Scoop the dough into a piping bag fitted with a medium plain tip (#806) and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Pipe ½-by-2-inch ovals onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies (don’t skimp on the room between cookies, as they will spread and rise as they bake).

Bake until lightly golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool on a wire rack.

While the cookies are baking, make the filling. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until steaming. Remove the pot from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until smooth, then stir in the orange zest or peppermint oil.

Spread ½ tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of one cookie and then sandwich with the flat side of another. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

There’s one week out of the year when you should absolutely not think about making these homemade chocolaty mint cookies: when the Girl Scouts come around. The rest of the year? Go for it
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To make the cookies, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Drop in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse to create a crumbly mixture. Then, with the food processor running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of milk, vanilla, and peppermint. Mix until the mixture starts to stick together, about 1 minute. If the mixture seems too dry, drizzle in the other tablespoon of milk.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pull the dough together into a ball—it might be a bit sticky, so flour your hands well. Form the dough into a log that is about 1 inch in diameter and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes, or up to 1 week (if storing for longer than a day, let the dough warm until it is a little pliable before you slice it).

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Slice the log into ¼-inch-thick discs. You can slice the discs slightly thinner or thicker if you
wish—thinner cookies will be more crisp and thicker ones will be more firm. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before coating.

While the cookies are cooling, make the coating. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over the simmering water and stir to melt. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the peppermint extract and salt. Dip each wafer into the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to set in a cool spot (or in the refrigerator) before eating.