Sable Breton-Inspired Butter Cookies from Hayden Annika

Sable Breton-Inspired Butter Cookies - made dough December 5, 2023 from Hayden Annika 

3 egg yolks, room temperature

75 grams powdered sugar

100 grams salted French or European butter (I used Kerrygold)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

250 grams cake flour

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip yolks and sugar until pale and thick.
2. Add softened butter and vanilla until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
3. Switch to a paddle attachment and gradually add cake flour on low speed.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Once chilled, stamp cookies. Freeze stamped cookies for at least 1 hour.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space frozen cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

New cookie stamp alert! Still Nordic Ware and made in the USA but this time sourced from Target, just in time for the holidays. Plus they were 30% off when I bought them so $14 for the three stamps were a good deal.

If you're new to cookie stamping, these types of stamps with wooden handles and large impressions that aren't too finely detailed but still have a pattern, are the best starting point.

And of course, it helps to work with a good recipe that holds the stamped impressions during baking. Which, as you can see, this one does. 

I followed the recipe exactly, subbing in Kerrygold European butter since I didn't have access to French butter like the original recipe suggested. I don't have a link back to the original source like I normally do as I got them from the files section of my Facebook group on Molded Cookies but I credit the recipe to one of the group's members who publishes her recipes for stamped cookies.

Sable Breton are butter cookies that tend to be on the buttery and (sometimes) dry side. They're not the crisp snap of shortbread or at least this one didn't. I don't know if I didn't bake them long enough to get the snap. I have mixed feelings about this recipe. I love how faithfully the stamped impressions held and the flavor was good. Not sure I was wild about the texture though as it was in that nebulous ether stage between crisp and chewy. I prefer a cookie texture to commit to one or the other. Plus it had a drier mouthfeel. Which maybe real Sable Bretons also have? It's been awhile since I've had one so I can't remember. Still, look at those impressions. The recipe didn't make very many cookies given the size of my stamps but the dough was easy to work with and easy to make again for more cookies to send in military care packages.

Speculaas Cookies from Bigger Bolder Baking

Speculaas Cookies - made dough December 3, 2023 from Bigger Bolder Baking 

1 2/3 cups (236 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground aniseed

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (128 grams) brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

fine rice flour or granulated sugar, for rolling

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, aniseed, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until well combined and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
3. Beat in the milk then gradually add the flour mixture in several additions, mixing on low speed.
4. Once dough is combined, gather into a ball, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. If using an embossed rolling pin, chill dough 10-15 minutes then roll out with a plain rolling pin to 1/3" thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
5. If using cookie stamps, wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. If using embossed rolling pin, dust embossed rolling pin with rice flour and run rolling pin over rolled-out dough; cut with cookie cutters. If using cookie stamps, pinch off pieces of dough and roll into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar and stamp with cookie stamp(s). Cut edges if you want them neat. 
8. Evenly space stamped cookies on prepared baking sheets and bake about 15-18 minutes until slightly golden. Let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

I made these earlier in December so I'd be able to ship them out to deployed military troops hopefully in time for them to receive it for Christmas. While I'm not usually a big fan of too many spices in cookies, speculaas are the rare exception (although I'm starting to develop a taste for gingerbread, finally).

Biscoff cookies rank right up there with Oreos in my snobby taste buds exceptions for store bought cookies. It doesn't mean I don't try to bake replicas at home though, although so far nothing tops the original Biscoff cookie.

But these were meant to be stamped and I can't not use my new Christmas stamps, right?

The impressions turned out decently well on these, although the fine writing on the "Merry Christmas" stamp was a little hit or miss.

The tradeoff you have to make with these is how much of a crunch you want in them. If you bake closer to the 15 minute mark, they're a little softer but they're actually meant to be crisp. If you bake closer to the 18-20 minute mark, you'll get the crunch but they are a little harder to bite into. It's all a matter of preference and how strong your teeth are.

Surprisingly, I like the crunchier version in terms of both taste and texture. When they're not baked to full crunchiness, you'll get a mixture of crunch at the edges and more chewiness in the middle but, like the original Biscoff cookies, they are meant to be crisp throughout. The flavor seems to come through better when they're crunchy. I ended up liking the spiciness of this cookie as well, crunch and all.

Lemon Curd Linzer Sandwich Cookies from Pretty Life Girls

Lemon Curd Linzer Sandwich Cookies - made dough December 2, 2023 from The Pretty Life Girls

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar plus more for topping cookies

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons lemon curd

1. Combine butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy and well combined.
2. Add flour, mixing at low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a ball; flatten slightly into thick disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll out dough between two large sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Emboss with embossed rolling pin or cookie stamps and cut with 2-inch cookie cutters. Cut out center from half the cookies using a smaller decorative cookie cutter.
6. Evenly space cookies on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets before transferring cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
7. Place cooled cookies with center cut-outs onto parchment paper; sprinkle with powdered sugar.
8. Spread bottom-side of cookies without the cutouts with 1/4 teaspoon lemon curd. Top with center cutout cookie, powdered sugar-side up.

I took these cookies to a holiday cookie exchange party earlier this month and they seemed to be a hit. Can you believe that I've never been to a cookie swap? Back in the Bay Area, most of my friends weren't bakers so I was the one supplying baked goods. When I moved to Nevada, well, I didn't have local friends, lol.

But I joined a local women's group that plans various activities so people could meet in person and form connections. I have to admit, after several years of Covid-quarantine/isolation, it's been nice to socialize. And I say that as an introvert.

Just like with the baking meetups I've hosted at my house, the party gave me a chance to try out a recipe I normally wouldn't bake since I can't send these in my military care packages for my volunteer work with Soldiers Angels. The filling and the delicacy of the cookies would never survive overseas or military mail.

A slight digression before I go into the recipe. One of the challenges I have with my cookie stamps and cutters is some of them, primarily the Anis Paradeis ones, come with specialized cutters that fit the stamped impressions. Try keeping them together without getting them mixed up with other stamps? A bit tricky. Until now. Thanks to other cookie stampers, I discovered using these photo storage containers were perfect. They're the perfect size in length, width and depth to hold most of my cookie stamps that don't have handles. And an easy way to keep everything organized.

Back to the cookies. Although they're called "linzer" cookies, a true linzer cookie typically has ground hazelnuts in the dough and are filled with some kind of jam, usually raspberry. Plus the tops are covered in powdered sugar before sandwiching the jam.

As you can see, I broke all those rules. Since I had stamped them, I didn't want to hide the impressions by sprinkling powdered sugar over them. I also don't like raspberry jam or any kind of jam or jelly which is why I deliberately picked this recipe that uses lemon curd. Lemon curd is supposedly easy to make but I didn't have time to make it from scratch so I went with the ready made stuff in a jar. Which turned out to taste pretty good. As was the whole cookie. The cookies themselves are light in texture and a little crisp, a perfect foil for the tart lemon curd. They're not too sweet either so they also don't clash with the curd. I liked these cookies. They took more time to make but were worth the effort.

Snickers Bar Blondies from Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen

Snickers Bars Blondies - made December 2, 2023 from Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups Snickers bars, chopped into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until combined
4. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing on low speed until just combined.
5. Fold in chopped Snickers. Pour batter in an even layer into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

Still working my way through leftover Halloween candy and trying to use different types of recipes for them. Instead of chocolate brownies or cookies, I went with this blondie bar that incorporates chunks of Snickers bars.

As blondies go, this was pretty good. It's a straightforward brown-sugar-based blondie with chopped up Snickers in it. The only issue I had with it is the top is crusty. I prefer a softer bite and the texture underneath the crusty crust was fine. You just have to get past the crust. It's not super hard or anything but it's definitely a crust.

It isn't a deal breaker and I just happen to be one of those weirdos who don't like a crust on either my blondies or my brownies. It's why I tend not to mix batter too much after eggs are added because if you (over)beat eggs, they form more of a meringue-like crust when your batter is baked. And guess who doesn't like meringues? Yeah. Me.

Coconut Mug Cake from Mildly Meandering

Coconut Mug Cake - made November 11, 2023 from Mildly Meandering

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons coconut

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon coconut emulsion or extract (I used vanilla extract)

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir. 
2. Pour batter into mug and microwave for 1:30 to 2 minutes or until cooked through.

I've never really made mug cakes before or if I had, it was so long ago that I've forgotten. But I wanted to use up some milk and this seemed the easiest way. As a baker, it's almost impossible for me to let ingredients go to waste. It’s also because I was raised by first generation immigrant parents and wasting any kind of food is just.not.done. This recipe has the added advantage of not using any eggs so I didn't have to worry about halving or third-ing an egg.

This was actually quite delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by not only how easy it was to whisk together but how well it turned out. The texture reminded me of puto, the steamed Filipino vanilla cakes. But it was much easier to make.

And it was delicious. I didn't have coconut extract so I used vanilla and that worked just fine. The coconut flakes added a nice chewiness to the texture and the flavor. But I love coconut so it’s hard to go wrong with it. Mug cakes might be my new favorite thing and, at least for the moment, supplants a warm cookie when I need a sugar fix.

I made this at night so the lighting isn't the best. Which is a shame as the pictures don't do this little cake justice. If you want a warm, single serving dessert you can make in under 5 minutes, a mug cake is definitely the way to go. Just don’t cook it too long in the microwave or the texture will become rubbery. Err on the side of caution and put it in for less time then just pop back it in the microwave and cook 10 seconds at a time until you’re happy with the texture.

Buttermilk Brownies from The Timeless Baker

Buttermilk Brownies - made November 10, 2023 from The Timeless Baker

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8 x 8 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, melt chocolate and butter, whisking until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool for several minutes.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract, beating on low speed until combined.
5. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

December 8 is National Chocolate Brownie Day and I just happen to have been experimenting with new brownie recipes lately so I finally get to match a post with a food holiday (yay, me). 

I only ever seem to bake with buttermilk when I have to use it up after I've made my tried and true recipe for banana bread. Then it becomes a matter of trying out whatever recipes I want to make before the expiration date.

In this case, I wanted brownies for my military care packages. Buttermilk brownies are often a misnomer to me as they often turn out to be more like chocolate sheet cake than even the cakiest brownies.

These were more on the brownie side for once, albeit they still had a soft texture. But they weren't too cakey or delicate so they still lived up to their brownie moniker. Flavor wise they were pretty good, not quite with the chocolatey richness of my go-to brownie recipe but still decent brownies, especially if you need to use up leftover buttermilk.