 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Plan some fun with a cooking class at Kitchen Window! We have an incredible line-up of topics, menus and instructors. With hundreds of choices, a Kitchen Window cooking class makes a great outing with friends and family, as well as a wonderful date night. 
|
Treasure your baking traditions, and add some new favorites to your repertoire this year.
|
To Receive our E-Newsletter via email - Please subscribe to our mail list. |
|
To Receive our E-Newsletter via email - Please subscribe to our mail list. Return to www.kitchenwindow.com Copyright 2011 - Kitchen Window and Acorn Advisors. ================================
|
Newsletter - Text Version “Bake a Better Cookie!” We all have cookie favorites that without, the holiday season would seem incomplete. Renew one of the joys of the season with some old-fashioned cookie baking and bonding. IN THIS ISSUE, we present some new cookie favorites and renew an old favorite, pressed cookies. We’re focused on cookies that taste fabulous, make a visual splash, all without too much work or fuss. It’s a great time of year to make, bake, and take cookies to family and friends. RECIPE: Hazelnut Sticks This recipe is wonderfully reliable and versatile, and the flavor of toasted nuts can’t be beat! These cookies are delicious and fast to assemble. The dough mixes in under 5 minutes in a food processor, chills as a log, and then is sliced into thin sticks. The nuts – whatever kind you chose – toast as the cookies bake. The cookies are sturdy and crispy when done. Recipes from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich. Copyright © 2010. Published by Artisan, a Division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc., New York, NY. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Recipe Notes: These cookies are perfectly fine on their own, but are easily enhanced with a dip or drizzle of chocolate. Hazelnuts, also called filberts, are great for this cookie, but try pecans, pistachios, or almonds for a taste variation. We can imagine minced pieces of dried fruit included in the dough for color and flavor. This dough will spread during baking, nearly double in width. Leave adequate space between pieces as you place them on the baking sheet. Quick Cookie Fix: Choose cookie recipes that call for a log formation that is then sliced. This method makes baking a lot of cookies quickly easy. These Hazelnut Sticks can be shaped into any kind of log – a thin rectangle as described in the recipe, or a round log, square, or even triangular. Do-Ahead: Measure, mix, and form this dough in less than 5 minutes, and put it to chill. Bake in the next day or two. Bake a Better Cookie Cookies are so much fun to bake and eat! We love swapping our favorites with family and friends. Even better, we love answering the doorbell and being presented with a cookie plate full of holiday treats! We have a few tricks for achieving even better results in your holiday cookie baking this year. Looking for help with rolled, cut-out cookies? Check out last year’s Cookie newsletter. You’ll find plenty of recipes and tips for great shapes, and instructions for decorating including piping and flooding techniques. Ingredients Cookie texture and spread may vary based on the protein content of the flour and the brand’s consistency in its protein content. You may need to adjust the quantity of flour to achieve the correct texture. Butter is about 14-18% water; unsalted and European cultured butters contain less water and generally preferred for cookie baking. Measuring Test the accuracy of your measuring cups with a kitchen scale. One cup of tap water should weigh 8 ounces. Measuring cups can vary in quality and accuracy by up to 10%. The most accurate method for measuring flour by volume is to fluff the flour in the bag, then spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Use a knife or straightedge to level off the flour in the cup. Avoid packing flour in the cup, or allowing it to settle by tapping or shaking. Mixing Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl often during the mixing process whether you are mixing with a spoon, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer. Prepping Lining baking sheets with a silicone baking mat, or parchment paper solves the problem of removing cookies from the pan once baked. Also, cookies can be staged on mats or parchment paper. Move them en masse to a cookie sheet for baking, and move again to the cooling rack when baked. Use baking sheets that are heavy, not thin, and light-colored, not dark. Thin or dark cookie sheets cause cookies to burn more easily. Insulated baking sheets allow for more even baking. To Keep Cookies from Sticking Silicone Baking Mats are a weave of fiberglass strands coated on both sides with high-temperature tolerant silicone. The mats are reusable over and over. Baking Hustle pans in and out of the oven so that heat is retained in the oven. When testing for doneness, do so quickly, and as infrequently as possible. Avoid opening the oven door to peek during the first three-quarters of baking time while the cookies are setting. Oven temperatures can dive 100°F each time the door is opened making for uneven or elongated baking. For even baking, strive to keep the cookie sizes the same. Use a scoop to portion out dough, or a kitchen scale to weigh pieces of dough. Test cookies for doneness by checking the color on the edges, or lightly pressing a fingertip on the cookie. If the cookie springs back, it’s done; if a dent remains, the cookies need a little more time. If you bake cookies two sheets at a time, halfway through baking exchange rack positions for more even baking. You may find it helpful, even when baking one sheet at a time, to rotate the pans from front to back midway during baking. Cooling and Storing Once cooled, most cookies prefer storage in an airtight container until decorated or served. Cookies will absorb atmospheric humidity causing crispy to become soft in a hurry. If you choose to freeze cookies for longer storage, wrap tightly in freezer-grade wrap, again, to prevent the freezer’s humidity from infiltrating the cookie. RECIPE: Pebbly Beach Fruit Squares These squares are our new go-to recipe for something different on our cookie plate. Two thin crusts are sandwiched around a layer of dried fruit. The result is reminescent of a slice of delicious pie. The jeweled tones of the dried fruit and the twinkle of the sugar topping look gorgeous when served. Recipes from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich. Copyright © 2010. Published by Artisan, a Division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc., New York, NY. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Recipe Notes: We tried a mixture of dried cherries, prunes, golden raisins, and cranberries in our filling with great success. Filling variations abound. Try cranberries and minced crystallized ginger as the author suggests, or dried apples, walnut pieces, and cinnamon, or dried cherries with pecans, or apricots with pistachios. Do-Ahead: Mix the dough ahead and place it to chill. The next day, roll, fill, fold, cut, and bake. This dough is very easy to work with; it rolls out to the desired thinness very cooperatively with a periodic dusting of flour on the rolling pin. Cookie Baking Essentials Insulated Cookie Sheets – Two layered construction creates air space; heats evenly without burning. Cookie Spatula – A thin, wide blade easily transfers delicate cookies from baking sheet to cooling rack. Silicone Mats – Reusable mats line baking sheets for the ultimate in nonstick performance every time. Hand Mixer – Small, compact hand mixer works well for cookies and cakes while packing plenty of power. Cooling Racks – Allow cookies to let off steam after baking and crisp up. Small grid and footed design. Le Creuset Spatulas – These new spatulas have just the right sturdiness and flexibility. Heat tolerant. Cookie Decorations – Embellish your cookies with color and flair with decorations in many shapes and styles. Mixing Bowls – Utilitarian for multiple uses in every kitchen. Tall sides keep spatter in the bowl. Cookie Press – Make shaped cookies fast with this trigger-equipped cookie press. Many different disk designs. RECIPE: Scandinavian Spritz Childhood favorites for many of us, these “pressed” butter cookies are experiencing a renaissance. And, why not? They are easy to mix, shape, and bake. A buttery, bite-sized cookie, the shapes add interest to the cookie plate whatever the season or occasion. Unlike most cookie doughs, this soft dough is not chilled prior to pressing onto the cookie sheet. What’s a Cookie Press? How Does It Work? What’s old is new again! Cookie presses are making a comeback not only for these winter holidays, but for many other cookie occasions. A cookie press quickly forms uniform shapes by forcing cookie dough through a disk with a specific pattern. The results are charming. Tips for Using a Cookie Press: (1) To Fill the Cookie Press: Form the soft dough into a rough cylinder and drop into the barrel of the cookie press. Cookie Press Tips adapted with permission from Kuhn Rikon’s Cookie Press Instructions. RECIPE: Raspberry Meringues Meringue-based cookies are a great gluten-free addition to the cookie plate. With just three egg whites, sugar and a little stabilizing cream of tartar as the base, this cookie is also low-fat and inexpensive. For flavor, this recipe uses freeze-dried raspberries pulverized into a dust that is then incorporated into stiffly beaten egg whites. Recipes from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich. Copyright © 2010. Published by Artisan, a Division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc., New York, NY. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Recipe Notes: Experiment with other freeze-dried fruits such as bananas, strawberries, or peaches. Fold in other add-in’s just prior to dropping dollops onto the baking sheet, flaked coconut, chocolate chips, small marshmallows, chopped nuts – let your imagination take you new places. Sprinkle nonpareils or colored sanding sugars on top of the meringue mounds just prior to popping into the oven. Dip baked meringues into melted chocolate if you like. Dip the top in white chocolate for a “snow on the mountain” effect,” or dunk the base in dark chocolate. The meringues may be piped into mounds or swirls with a piping bag and tip, or simply dolloped onto a baking sheet with a spoon. Make these cookies as the last recipe of the day. They bake at 200°F for 2 hours, then continue to dry overnight in the cooling oven. Follow “meringue rules” for these cookies, an impeccably clean, grease-free mixing bowl and beaters, absolutely no yolk in the egg whites, and sugar added gradually to the beaten egg whites. Store in an airtight container to prevent the meringues from taking on moisture from the atmosphere. COOKBOOK REVIEW: Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich. 2010 International Association of Culinary Professionals Baking Book of the Year Treasure your baking traditions, and add some new favorites to your repertoire this year. Enjoy sharing some cookie baking with the next generation.
|