No-Fuss Christmas Cookies (New York Style)

These are inspired by my favorite cakey New York style black-&-white cookies. They are light and fluffy and with a quick flip, they are a perfect vehicle for icing and sprinkles. Best thing about this recipe is that these cookies require no cookie cutters. As much as I love snowmen, snowflakes, and gingerbread men this time of year, the need for cookie perfection forces me to abandon those cookie cutter projects….These are an easy 60 min start-to-finish project that will satisfy your December induced sweet tooth.

Makes approx 3 dozen

For cookies:
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 ­cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg

For Icing:

3 cups confectioners’sugar
2 tablespoons agave nectar (light corn syrup can be used)
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-6 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or silpats. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, approx 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, alternating in batches.
Drop spoonfuls of batter one inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake until the tops of the cookies are rounded and puffed, and the edges are light golden brown, approximately 8 minutes. Be sure to turn the cookie sheets halfway through baking. Transfer to a rack to cool.
To make icing, stir together confectioners’ sugar, agave, lemon, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add a little more water if the icing is not spreadable.
Once the cookies are cooled, spread or gently pour the icing on the flat (bottom) part of the cookie. Decorate to your heart’s content. Once decorated, and allowed to sit for a few minutes, the icing will set and will not remain runny.

 

 

 

 

Not just for campfires...

I recently made these for my child’s preschool treat when it was her turn to provide the snacks…and apparently the entire room of 4-5 years olds enjoyed them…Score! They are delicate and fun to make…also make excellent s’mores. (Note marshmallow recipe from last month). After lots of testing, I have also created a gluten free version. Remember, if they are reduced to crumbs, use them for a crust!

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup coconut flour (bob’s is a good brand)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon (plus ½ teaspoon more for sprinkling)
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
3 tablespoons coconut oil
4 tablespoons honey
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine flours, baking soda and baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon and brown sugar. Mix until well incorporated. Add butter and coconut oil and mix on medium for 30 seconds.

In a bowl, mix honey and vanilla with ¼ cup water. Stir until the honey is dissolved. (Alternatively, warm in a sauce pan over low until well mixed). With the mixer on low, gently pour the honey vanilla mixture into the flour. Mix for about 30 seconds. The mixture will be crumbly.

Push the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours (or it can be frozen at this point).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough into quarters and roll in between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll thinly to about 1/8”. Cut the dough into desired size (rectangles or squares) Using a spatula to lift the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet or silpat.  Re-roll scraps until you finish off the dough. Pierce the dough with a fork a few times in a desired pattern.

In a small bowl, mix ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon sugar. Sprinkle each cracker with the sugar mixture. Bake them for 10-15 minutes, turning the baking sheet once half way through. Let cool and the will have a nice crispy texture.

*For gluten free version, use the following flour mixture (in place of the 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup coconut flour) and follow the directions above using all of the other ingredients listed: 1 cup AP Gluten free mixture (Bobs brand), ½ cup coconut flour, ½ cup almond flour (not meal), ¼ cup sorghum flour. You can buy all of these flours at PCC.

Salt-Crusted Baked Trout

  

 

A succulent one pan dish with a playful presentation....this is one of my favorite ways to cook a whole fish. You can purchase trout that has been gutted and boned, but if you get a fish with bones... once cooked inside a salt crust, the meat separates quite easily off the bones.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stuff the fish with a few half lemon slices, Thai basil and approximately a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic ginger paste. Pour enough kosher salt to cover the bottom of a cast iron pan (about 1/2 cup). Place the whole fish on the salt and pour more salt to cover everything except the head and tail. Bake for 15-20 minutes. The salt will turn golden brown and the eyes will no longer be clear. Crack the salt, and carefully peel it away from the fish. The meat will be easy to pull away, juicy and tender!



Baked Chickpeas, an old comforting favorite for any time of the day...

Photos by Kristin Tetuan

Baked Chickpeas with Eggs & Feta in Tomato Sauce

This hearty vegetarian dish can easily be made for omnivores by adding smoked salmon or crumbled hot Italian sausage.

Serves 4

1½ cups diced white onion (approx 1 medium onion)

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground chili powder
1 (7oz) can diced green chiles (fire roasted is fine)
2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained
1 (28oz) can diced San Marzano tomatoes
½ tsp kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 eggs
4 green onions, diced, (white and green parts fine to use)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a cast iron pan over high heat on the stovetop and add onion and garlic. Cook until the onion and garlic are soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add cumin and chili powder and mix well. Next add chiles and chickpeas, and cook for 2 more minutes, mixing well. Next add tomatoes to the pan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and mix feta into the chickpeas. Next create four shallow wells in the chickpeas, and crack an egg into each one without breaking the yolk.

 

Bake chickpeas in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until you get the yolk the level of firmness that you prefer. Garnish with green onion and cilantro. Serve warm.