Happy New Year everyone! 2014 is getting off to a good start but, judging by this post, part of my mind is still a bit stuck in 2013, thinking about holiday baking. Since I was still having 'X-mas' cookie cravings after December 25th, it seemed like the perfect focus for this blog entry. When I first started up Alphabake, my original baking idea for 'X' was hot x'd (crossed) buns. As they are a typical Easter treat it would have been a post that was quite out of season (more so than this one) and a bit more of a stretch with the use of the letter 'X'.
Feeling celebratory, I have included three different cookie recipes, all appropriate for the holidays or any other time of the year. I have featured:
- Coconut Macadamia Triangles from The William-Sonoma Baking Book
- Cashew Caramel Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies
- Chocolate-Coconut Bars from www.marthastewart.com
All were delicious and fairly simple to make--it was hard to pick a favourite! Happy baking!
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Coconut Macadamia Triangles
This recipe calls for a 9-inch square baking pan. I used an 8-inch pan because that is what I had but if you do have a 9-inch pan, it would definitely help with cutting more evenly-sized triangles. You also have the option to dip a corner of the triangles in melted chocolate. This is beautiful for presentation but I only did it with half of the batch of cookies because some were more delicate than others and would come close to falling apart in the dipping process. Lastly, I had a lot of difficulty finding macadamia nuts. Before finally coming across them, I thought hard about substituting them for another nut. If you feel like trying out this recipe and encounter the same problem, I think cashews would be a decent replacement.
Ingredients:
1 cup (5oz/155g) plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ cup (6 oz/185g) firmly packed light brown sugar, plus 1 Tbsp
¾ tsp salt
5 Tbsp (2½ oz/75g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup (5oz/155g) unsalted macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
½ cup (2oz/60g) shredded sweetened dried coconut
½ cup (3oz/90g) semisweet chocolate (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) square pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil.
2. Place the macadamia nuts on a baking sheet and put into the oven for approximately 7 minutes until they are lightly toasted.
3. In a food processor, combine the 1 cup flour, the 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and ½ tsp of the salt. Process briefly to blend. With the machine running, add the butter a few pieces at a time until small crumbs form. Turn out into the prepared pan. Press the mixture into the pan in an even layer. Bake until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the 2 Tbsp flour, the ¾ cup brown sugar, the corn syrup, vanilla, egg, and the remaining ¼ tsp salt. Beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Stir in the nuts and coconut until blended.
5. Spread the coconut topping over the warm baked bottom crust. Return to the oven and bake until the topping is lightly browned and the edges pull away from the pan sides, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Use the foil to lift the cookie from the pan.
6. Cut the cookie into twelve 3-by-2 ¼-inch (7.5 by 5.5 cm) rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half on the diagonal to make triangles. If desired, dip in chocolate melted in a double boiler.
Cashew Caramel Cookies
These cookies were a big hit--a more exotic take on a classic peanut butter cookie. The caramel topping (made from caramel candies) were a decadent touch.
Ingredients:
1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp coarse salt
2 ½ cups roasted salted cashews
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp canola oil
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
24 soft caramel candy cubes
¼ cup heavy cream
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour and salt. Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside. Process remaining 1 ½ cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in oil; process until creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture and reserved chopped cashews.
3. Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten cookies. Bake until bottoms are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
4. Melt caramels with cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring. Let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature in single layers up to 3 days.
Ingredients:
1 cup (5oz/155g) plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ cup (6 oz/185g) firmly packed light brown sugar, plus 1 Tbsp
¾ tsp salt
5 Tbsp (2½ oz/75g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup (5oz/155g) unsalted macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
½ cup (2oz/60g) shredded sweetened dried coconut
½ cup (3oz/90g) semisweet chocolate (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) square pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil.
2. Place the macadamia nuts on a baking sheet and put into the oven for approximately 7 minutes until they are lightly toasted.
3. In a food processor, combine the 1 cup flour, the 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and ½ tsp of the salt. Process briefly to blend. With the machine running, add the butter a few pieces at a time until small crumbs form. Turn out into the prepared pan. Press the mixture into the pan in an even layer. Bake until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes.4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the 2 Tbsp flour, the ¾ cup brown sugar, the corn syrup, vanilla, egg, and the remaining ¼ tsp salt. Beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Stir in the nuts and coconut until blended.
5. Spread the coconut topping over the warm baked bottom crust. Return to the oven and bake until the topping is lightly browned and the edges pull away from the pan sides, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Use the foil to lift the cookie from the pan.6. Cut the cookie into twelve 3-by-2 ¼-inch (7.5 by 5.5 cm) rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half on the diagonal to make triangles. If desired, dip in chocolate melted in a double boiler.
Cashew Caramel Cookies
These cookies were a big hit--a more exotic take on a classic peanut butter cookie. The caramel topping (made from caramel candies) were a decadent touch.
Ingredients:
1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour½ tsp coarse salt
2 ½ cups roasted salted cashews
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp canola oil
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
24 soft caramel candy cubes
¼ cup heavy cream
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour and salt. Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside. Process remaining 1 ½ cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in oil; process until creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture and reserved chopped cashews.
3. Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten cookies. Bake until bottoms are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.4. Melt caramels with cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring. Let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature in single layers up to 3 days.
Chocolate-Coconut Bars
This recipe was definitely the fastest and easiest of the three to execute. Chocolate and coconut are always a match made in heaven, and the sweetened condensed milk binds all the ingredients together while giving the bars an irresistibly gooey texture. Since this recipe is already posted online at www.marthastewart.com I am just leaving the direct link here in order to avoid any potential errors in the copying process.
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