Exotic Spice Cookies with Ginger, Cardamom and Rose Water, AKA The Cookies I Chose Over Lakers Playoff Tickets

Yes, it's true, these are the cookies that will make grown men cry. Not because they are so damn good (and believe me, they are), but because they are here today, a physical, tangible thing I can hold in my hand and send to my stomach, at the expense of Lakers playoff tickets. Grown men, cry away.

Allow me to explain.

I suddenly felt the urge to bake with rose water this week.

I'll never forget the day I bought the rose water. It was about a year ago I was offered last minute free tickets to a Lakers playoff game, and being the rebellious, bake-crazy girl I am, I turned down the tickets so that I could go shopping for interesting baking ingredients at a store called Surfas in Culver City. I had never been to Surfas, but I had heard about it and always wanted to go. I had been told by foodie friends that it was a foodie mecca, a wonderland of restaurant supplies and exotic ingredients and every color of the rainbow in decorating sugars.

Much to the chagrin of my friends who all would have dreamed of being my plus one at the game, not to mention the name calling I got from them, I declined the tickets and instead spent my afternoon purchasing rose water, some parchment cake pan liners, and some colorful coarse decorating sugars. Call me what you will (though please be gentle), I had a great day. And then the rose water sat in my cabinet, unused, all this time! Until now. I searched on Google for a recipe that called for rose water, and found a cookie that also required cardamom, one of my absolute favorite spices.


Well, let me tell you, I made the cookie dough, tasted a little nibble, and then stood there frozen, in shock, in awe, unable to move, in love with this cookie dough. So much so, that I wasn't sure I should bake it up into cookies. I mean, if it ain't broke, don't fix it right? The cookie dough is so perfect, why take a risk and bake it into cookies. What if the baked version isn't as good as the raw dough? What a dilemma! And get this, there is no chocolate in the recipe! What the heck! I know, something is clearly wrong with me. First, I skip Lakers playoff tickets to go grocery shopping, and then I make a non-chocolate cookie dough that's so out of this world I contemplate not baking it. Huh.


The moral of the story is: Listen to the voice inside your head. Do what you want to do. Don't listen to others. Then own your decision, never look back, and make no regrets.

And by the way, yes, I took the risk, baked the dough into cookies, and have zero regrets. Thank goodness! Because if I had made a disgusting cookie with the rose water I purchased instead of attending the basketball game, I would have felt like a fool. These cookies are chewy, full of spicy flavor, and perfect in every way. Please, indulge yourself and make them. I feel like until you do, you're going to think Happy Go Marni has lost her mind. Not that she cares what you think. ;)


Exotic Spice Cookies with Ginger, Cardamom and Rose Water
Adapted from a recipe by Camilla Saulsbury, Nacogdoches, TX, that was featured in the Food Network show Ultimate Recipe Showdown, "Episode: Cookies"
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I'd do 1 teaspoon because I love this spice)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, optional (I skipped this)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, optional (I skipped this)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (even uncrystallized ginger works fine - and sold at Trader Joe's)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon rose water (feel free to add more; 1 teaspoon is VERY mild)
3/4 cup turbinado (raw) sugar, for rolling (Trader Joe's sells this!)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together: flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander (if using), pepper (if using) and salt. Stir in the crystallized ginger and then set the bowl aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with electric hand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, butter and shortening until fluffy. Be careful not to overbeat. Beat in the egg, honey, and rose water. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon to stir in the dry ingredients. Mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment, silicone baking mats, or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Pour a thick layer of turbinado sugar into a small bowl. Wet your hands under the sink, shake them off but don't dry them, and then form 1 1/4-inch balls of dough. Then roll the balls in the turbinado sugar to coat completely. Place the balls about 2 inches apart. They won't flatten out that much (which is why they remain so chewy!).

Bake cookies until slightly cracked and set on top but still soft to touch, and very light golden-colored, about 9 to 11 minutes. For my oven, 9 minutes was the perfect amount of time. Leave the cookies on the sheets for one minute to cool, then use a spatula to transfer to wire racks to cool completely.


Step-by-Step in Pictures
Whisk the dry ingredients together...

Add the crystallized ginger and stir to combine...

Set aside...

Combine the butter, shortening, and dark brown sugar...

Beat until smooth...
Blend in the egg, rose water, and honey...
Remove from the mixer and stir in the dry ingredients...

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge at least an hour or overnight...

After the dough is chilled, remove from fridge and set up your work station with a bowl of turbinado sugar...
Roll balls of dough in the turbinado sugar and place evenly apart on a baking sheet...
Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-11 minutes, then let cool...

Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Biscotti: Twice-Baked Heaven

NOTE: This post was originally published on Shabby Apple's blog on March 23, 2011, where I guest blogged as part of Shabby Apple's Roamin' Holiday Italian-inspired clothing line launch. If you are a fan of Anthropologie dresses (like I am!), you're going to LOVE Shabby Apple. Check it out here!

Biscotti is an Italian cookie that has superhero powers in the category of shelf life. That's because the cookie is twice-baked, and that process dries it out so it lasts longer. What exactly does it mean to bake a cookie twice? Well, first you shape the dough into a log on your baking sheet and bake it for Round 1. After this first baking period, you take the baking sheet out and slice the log into those familiar long cookies that we love so much. You then place them back on the baking sheet facing upright (imagine they're tanning at the beach and want to get maximum sun exposure), and off they go to bake for Round 2!


Those Italians sure came up with something good. And fortunately for us, it's a cookie that's available all over the place. You don't have to go to Italy to eat one (though a trip to Italy to get a biscotti makes a pretty good story, or an excuse for a vacation). Ever notice while waiting in the line at Starbucks that they sell individually wrapped biscotti? Makes sense. They are great coffee dunkers. And while biscotti just implies a simple twice-baked cookie with basic ingredients, gourmet, exotic, adventurous variations on the traditional can be found in cookbooks and bakeries everywhere. You'll find that nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chunks all get tossed into the batter, or the finished, baked cookie even gets dipped in chocolate. In fact, a plain biscotti today seems so boring!

One of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and orange, so putting them together in a biscotti sounds like my kind of heaven. This recipe is easy to prepare and has a hearty helping of chocolate chunks and orange zest. Do take the time to chop up a chocolate bar. It will work (and taste) soooo much better than using mini chocolate chips. So far, I'm going on one week that these biscotti have kept like new in an airtight container. I love that I feel no sense of urgency to finish eating the whole batch quickly before they go bad. These guys are going to last. And that means I'm going to take my time, savor each bite, and probably still be eating them in two weeks. Truly a cookie with superhero powers.


Chocolate Orange Biscotti
Adapted from a recipe by Marcel Desaulniers in Death By Chocolate Cookies
Makes 4 dozen biscotti

4 cups all-purpose flour plus up to 1/2 cup for shaping the dough
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-ounce pieces
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons minced orange zest (or more!)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (don't use chocolate chips because they're not easy to slice)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a large piece of wax paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed until soft, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, and continue beating for 4 more minutes until very smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the orange zest and beat on high for 30 seconds. On low speed, gradually add the sifted dry ingredients by lifting the wax paper carefully to the mixer and pouring the ingredients in. Add the chopped chocolate and mix on low for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and and continue mixing the chocolate in until well incorporated. A wooden spoon or strong rubber spatula work well.

Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Lightly flour a work surface. Transfer the biscotti dough to this surface and divide the dough into four equal portions. Use additional flour as necessary if the dough gets sticky. Shape each portion into a log that measures 8 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 1/4 inches high. You can also shape these logs directly onto the prepared baking sheets so you don't have to lift them once shaped. Two logs should fit on each baking sheet, placed about 2 inches apart.

For Round 1 of the two baking times, bake the biscotti logs on the top and center racks of the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch, rotating the sheets from top to center halfway through the baking time (at that time also turn each sheet 180 degrees). Remove the biscotti logs from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F.

Let the logs cool for about 15 minutes so you'll be able to handle them. Then, place a log onto a cutting board and use a very sharp serrated knife to slice the log into 12 cookies. The slices should be at a diagonal angle and about 1/2-inch thick. The rounded ends of the log can be discarded or eaten (Mmmm, eaten is a much better option). Do the same for the other logs. Return the slices to the baking sheet, this time facing up. You might be able to fit all of them snugly onto the same sheet they were first baked on, but you might need a third sheet.

For Round 2 of the two baking times, bake the biscotti slices on the top and center racks of the preheated oven for 30 minutes until crisp and evenly browned, rotating the sheets from top to center halfway through the baking time (at that time also turn each sheet 180 degrees). Remove the biscotti from the oven and allow them to cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight plastic container.

Storage: The biscotti will last for 2 to 3 weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They also freeze well. Just be sure to wrap them well and place in an airtight container in the freezer.


Step-by-Step in Pictures
Beat the sugar and butter together...

Beat in the eggs, one at a time...

Zest an orange...

Add in the orange zest...

Stir in the dry ingredients...

Measure 6 ounces of chocolate (I use a digital scale to measure - love this thing!! Worth every penny!)...

Chop the chocolate...

Stir the chopped chocolate into the dough...

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and add flour as needed to form a ball, then divide into four portions...

Shape each portion into a log and place two logs per baking sheet...

Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 minutes...

Allow to cool a few minutes so you can handle the log, then place on a cutting board and cut diagonal slices...

Return the slices to the baking sheets face up, reduce the oven to 275 degrees F, and bake for another 30 minutes...

Enjoy with a cup of coffee! Perhaps even dunk them!

Or package a few up in a treat bag, stick a label on it to let loved ones know who made them their treat, and get to sharing!

Another Delicious Hamentaschen Recipe PLUS Super-Scientific Hamentaschen Filling Research

Happy Purim! Chag Purim Sameach! To be completely honest, I wasn't sure I'd even get around to making homemade hamentaschen this year. But there's something about this annual tradition that if missed, would make the holiday feel a little empty for me.


So I did it. But I didn't go back to one of the fantastic recipes I'd made in the past (here, here, and here). I wanted to use this once-a-year opportunity to choose a recipe from a different cookbook. So I sifted through my Jewish dessert cookbooks and decided on Gil Marks ' The World of Jewish Desserts. His dough was fantastic. Easy to work with, beautifully flecked with orange zest, and held its shape when baked.


I chose to make three fillings: apricot, chocolate, and poppy seed. But I did an interesting thing before I ended up with those filling choices. I posted an unofficial poll to my Facebook page. Apparently my friends have very strong, passionate feelings toward their hamentaschen fillings! 37 comments later, I had a fair amount of data. A couple of peculiar votes like pegasus meat, children's tears, and smaller hamentaschen (that is pure genius) made their way onto the list, but mostly it was your usual chocolate, fruit, and poppy seed filling votes.

Here's my Facebook post:


And here are the results, graphed, coming to you thanks to the Happy Go Marni Research Department:


Despite a lot of anti-poppy seed sentiment in this Facebook poll, it still ended up being the most popular filling! Apricot was extremely popular too, and without any real negative comments. Chocolate seemed like a no-brainer, but I was surprised it had so many fewer votes than poppy seed and apricot. What's wrong with you people! Why isn't chocolate number one? Ok actually, I love all three of the top winners, and those are the three I made! I think I'll save pegasus meat for another year. ;)

What's your favorite hamentaschen filling?


Hamentaschen
Adapted from a recipe by Gil Marks in The World of Jewish Desserts
Makes sixty 3-inch cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup orange juice, milk, or water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract, or 1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest (optional)
About 2 cups hamentaschen filling (the sky's the limits, as you can see from the Happy Go Marni poll above)
Golden Egg Wash (recipe below)
Coarse sugar for decorating, optional

Sift the dry ingredients together: the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer, beat the butter or margarine until smooth, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the liquid (orange juice, milk, or water), extract, and optional zest. On low speed, add in the flour just until combined. The dough will be soft, not too dense. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge until firm, about 2 hours. You can leave it overnight, too. When you're ready to shape the dough, remove from the fridge and let sit out a few minutes to become malleable (won't take very long because it's a soft dough).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Divide the dough into thirds. Return the other two chunks to the fridge so they don't get too soft. With the remaining third, roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured dough board or waxed paper to about 1/8 inch thick. If you prefer thicker dough, roll to about 3/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 or 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles out of the dough. Save the scraps to roll out again and make more cookies.

Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each round. Bring three corners of each round up toward the top, pinching two points together to form one corner, then continuing until you have three corners. I like to leave some of the filling exposed, not only because it's pretty to see some color peeking out, but because then you'll know which filling it has if you are making more than one filling! If when you pinch the edges together they don't stick well, rub a little cold water on the dough to act as glue. Place 1 inch apart on parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheets.

Prepare Golden Egg Wash (see recipe below). Brush egg wash on all sides of each unbaked cookie with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you'd like.

Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. I prefer my cookies a little chewy, so I err on the side of less baking time. Transfer to a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will keep for about one week, or you can freeze them as soon as they've cooled and they'll be good for several months.


Golden Egg Wash
Recipe from my March 2010 hamentaschen post (Marcy Goldman's incredible recipe!)

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons milk or water
Pinch of sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Use a pastry brush to glaze or brush on prepared, unbaked hamentaschen.


Step-by-Step in Pictures
Beat butter or margarine until smooth...

Add sugar and beat until incorporated...

Add the eggs, one at a time...

Add the juice, vanilla, and zest...

Add the dry ingredients (which you had sifted together first)...

Beat just until incorporated...

Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge...

Roll out the dough, a third at a time...

Cut 2 1/2 or 3-inch rounds in the dough...

Add a teaspoon of filling to the center of each round and fold up the sides to form a triangle...

Continue with the remaining two-thirds of the dough and any other fillings you want to try...

Brush with Golden Egg Wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if you'd like...

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, then let cool on a rack...