Shortbread Stamped Cookies (recipe 1)

Shortbread Stamped Cookies - made December 30, 2020 from Roti N Rice

Last Christmas, my friend Bennett unexpectedly sent me this embossed rolling pin as a gift. Little did she (or I) know what a new obsession she was going to spark.

I have always wanted one of these but thought I had "enough" baking stuff. LOLOLOL. What a concept. An erroneous one as it turns out. I love this thing. Love.

But the tricky thing is finding a good recipe where the cookies don't spread and you don't lose the impressions from the embossing. Thus began my journey to find such a recipe. Be prepared for similar posts to come on this topic.

Thankfully, this one wasn't a bad one to start with. But before you can have the fun of embossing the dough, you have to roll it out perfectly smooth, even and flat. Thanks to Dorie Greenspan, I learned the trick of rolling out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. The parchment prevents sticking, allows you to roll out to an even thickness and you don't have to use a ton of flour to get it rolled out smoothly, thus enabling you not to add too much flour to the dough and potentially change the composition of the cookie texture.

Once you have your dough rolled out smoothly, make sure you chill it before and after the first rollout. This will help prevent (too much) sticking with the embossed rolling pin as well as make better impressions on the dough.

Did I mention how much I love this embossed rolling pin? Look how pretty the pattern is! Once you have the dough embossed, you can cut it out in any shape(s) you desired. I went with a round cutter with scalloped edges for a little more prettiness. I'm not good at decorating cakes or cookies so it's kinda exciting to turn out something this pretty. (Hey, I've been in lockdown for over a year, it doesn't take much to make me happy at this point - pretty cookies will do it.)

This was the scrap piece of dough which I couldn't resist embossing too

It's a bit hard to tell from the pictures but the pattern on the baked version, while not as sharply delineated as on the unbaked dough, didn't spread out too much and held up pretty well.

Here's what the underside looks like so you can see approximately what color you want to bake it until. As with most shortbread, you don't want to underbake too much or the texture won't be right but you also don't want to overbake it to too dark either. Flavor-wise, this was also good. It's hard to beat buttery shortbread.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup rice flour

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Combine all-purpose flour and rice flour in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and powdered sugar until creamy and blended. Add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing briefly after each addition until just combined.
2. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Place one disc in the center of a large piece of parchment paper. Cover with another large piece of parchment paper and roll out to an even thickness, about 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Place in refrigerator to chill for 30-60 minutes. Repeat with second disc.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Remove from refrigerator and peel off top sheet of parchment. Run over with embossed rolling pin or cookie stamp(s) and cut embossed dough into desired shapes. Space evenly onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake each baking sheet for 18-20 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Fudgy Nutella-Swirled Brownies (this could be my favorite)

Fudgy Nutella-Swirled Brownies - made February 26, 2021, modified from Baked by an Introvert

I have made dozens, if not hundreds, of brownie recipes in my baking lifetime. Eaten my fair share too. Usually I try out of a recipe, have a taste test piece, nod approvingly (9 times out of 10), give the rest away and move on.

People always ask me for a "favorite" brownie recipe but there are so many good ones out there that I usually look at them helplessly and suggest instead they focus on the quality of the ingredients and making sure not to overbake the brownies. You'll get good results. 

I still believe all that. However, I will also tell you that in this instance, it should tell you something that by the time I've posted this, I will already have made this particular recipe 6 times in a row. I never do that. Until now. That's how much I like this brownie.

Dark chocolate lovers, rejoice! This is a dark chocolate brownie. I "stuffed" it with Nutella to provide a little sweetness but if you're a dark chocolate purist, you can leave it out or add dark chocolate chips.

But look at that texture. Baked fudge, amiright? I have a bias towards brownies made with unsweetened chocolate rather than cocoa powder. Cocoa powder brownies tend to be lighter in texture since cocoa is a dry ingredient and you need to add liquid to the batter to prevent dry brownies. 

This recipe, with a full 8 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, doesn't have that issue. I love these brownies. And - no lie - I've had a "taste test" piece from almost every single batch I've made so far. Good thing I ship these out in Soldiers Angels care packages or I'd be eating taste test batches rather than taste test pieces.

As you can surmise from the pictures, these are rich so you might want to cut the pieces a little small. Or go do a double workout before and after and just enjoy a regular-size brownie. Either way, just enjoy.

1/2 cup unsalted butter

8 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Nutella for swirling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8" baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate, whisking until completely melted and smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, vanilla extract, salt and eggs until combined. Add melted chocolate and whisk until well combined. Fold in the flour and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick
4. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Dollop generous spoonfuls of Nutella. Cover Nutella with remaining batter and smooth top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (watch the Nutella). Cool brownies completely before cutting.

Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies - made February 4, 2021 from Everyday Eileen 

I don't make pecan sandies very often. Because you know, bias against nuts in cookies. But since I'm baking this for Soldiers Angels and sending in military care packages, I have to stop thinking about me, me, me and what I prefer.

Pecan sandies are easy to make. Every recipe I've tried for them turns into dough that's easy to work with, not too sticky or too dry. This was no exception. Plus you form the dough into a log, chill then slice and bake. Easy, especially when you're doing batch baking or making several kinds of baked goods to put in the package.

Two keys to a good pecan sandie: first, toast the pecans to bring out their flavor. Make sure you cool them completely before adding to the dough so you don't melt the butter incorporated into the dough. Second, bake them long enough to get a little crisp. For once, I don't advocate underbaking. You want to bake these until they're golden brown. A good pecan sandie should have a crisp snap of shortbread.

These were good. I'm still not a fan of nuts in cookies (exception for white chocolate macadamia nut or coconut macadamia cookies) but the toasted pecans worked here and they're pecan sandies for a reason.

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup pecans, chopped and lightly toasted

2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and combined. Mix in egg, vanilla extract and salt. Blend in pecans. Add flour and mix until just combined.
2. Roll dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Remove log from refrigerator and slice into thick, even slices. Evenly space on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden and middles no longer look raw. Cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Brown Sugar Cookies

 Dark Chocolate Brown Sugar Cookies - made dough February 14, 2021 from My Cooking Advisors

I liked how these cookies looked on My Cooking Advisors' blog but mine didn't quite turn out the same way. I left them as dough balls when I baked them rather than flattening to thick discs as she advised. Hence mine looked like a puffy chocolate cloud rather than a uniformly thick round cookie.

Regardless, these turned out pretty well, nice and chocolaty. I was a little surprised at the lightness of the texture. It wasn't quite cakey but it wasn't dense-chewy either. 

For something with this much chocolate, I advise letting it cool completely before eating. That way you can get the full chocolate flavor as well as the more fudgy texture.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat on medium speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix to incorporate. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder (sift cocoa if lumpy), cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture in 2 additions, mixing briefly after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Portion into dough balls, flatten slightly into thick discs, cover and chill or freeze for at least 1 hour.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls/discs. Bake 8-9 minutes or until edges are set and middles are no longer raw or shiny but have a few cracks. Do not overbake. 

Fudge Hazelnut Espresso Cookies

Fudge Hazelnut Espresso Cookies - made November 26, 2020 from Grab the Mangos

I don't drink coffee or espresso but I always seem to have a container of espresso powder so I can try recipes like this one. Coffee (or espresso) pairs well with chocolate to bring out the chocolate flavor. Depending how much you add, you can also balance to bring out the coffee flavor. Espresso is stronger in flavor than coffee so this definitely had the espresso flavor profile as much as the chocolate profile.

The dough was easy to work with and the cookies didn't spread too much. As always, I baked them from frozen dough. I modify all of the recipes I try to portion the dough into cookie dough balls, freeze and bake from frozen dough, no matter what the original recipe says. You can skip that step and bake as soon as you make the dough but I can't guarantee how thick or thin your cookies will turn out. 

It's also easier to avoid overbaking cookies if you bake from frozen dough. I like my cookies underbaked so it's an easy choice for me to make. 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons espresso powder

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1. In the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, melt butter and chocolate chips, whisking until melted, smooth and combined. Add the espresso powder and stir to dissolve.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter-chocolate mixture with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating briefly after each addition to combine. Add vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture in two additions, mixing briefly after each addition until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Portion into dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw or shiny.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pound Cake

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pound Cake - made November 20, 2020 from Seasonal and Holiday Recipe Exchange

I'm still catching up on recipes I made a few months ago and, as you can tell, it was still pumpkin season. Unlike the cookies and brownies I bake for Soldiers Angels care packages, this cake was for my nieces' birthday. I haven't seen either in awhile (thanks again, Covid) but I mailed them both a baked goods care package as part of their gift.

The original recipe included a glaze but since I was mailing this out, I didn't glaze it so it would be less messy to pack and ship. 

This was a good, straightforward, bundt cake. Moist. flavorful, good texture and it held up well for mailing. That's all I asked from it.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly spray a bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
   
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.
   
3. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes), then add eggs and beat another minute.  Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
   
4. Spoon batter into pan and bake until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean (40 to 50 minutes). Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack.  Cool completely, transfer to platter, then drizzle with glaze.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Glaze
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Drizzle cake with glaze.