# Cookie Recipe Exchange



## isa

While looking at recipes, trying to decide which cookies to make for Christmas, a thought occur to me. Why not have a cookie recipe exchange on Chef Talk? With people of many different ethnic background we could all discover new cookies.

I wish I had old family recipes for cookies. No such luck. So I'll share with one of my favourite Christmas cookie, a recipe found in Gourmet a few years ago. This is the recipe as it appears in Gourmet, bellow you'll find my notes

*Pistachio Coins* 
80 Cookies

*For dough*

1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup shelled natural pistachios (about 1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

* For topping*

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces fine-quality white chocolate such as Lindt
6 tablespoons shelled natural pistachios (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

* Make dough:* 
In a small bowl whisk together egg and extracts. In a food processor pulse together flour, pistachios, sugar, and salt until combined well (do not finely grind nuts). Add butter in pieces and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg mixture with motor running and pulse just until dough forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a work surface and with heel of hand press dough together just until smooth and cohesive.

Form level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. With your thumb gently make an indentation in centre of each ball, pressing down almost to bottom.

Bake cookies in batches in lower third of oven until bottoms are pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets on racks 5 minutes and transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.

* Make topping:* 
In a small heavy saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth, and remove pan from heat. Coarsely chop (keeping separate) pistachios and cranberries.

Working with 10 cookies at a time, spoon 1/4 teaspoon chocolate mixture into each indentation and sprinkle pistachios and cranberries over chocolate centres. Let chocolate centres set 30 minutes. Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 10 days.

* My notes:* 
I omit the lemon extract, adding instead a few drops of vanilla extract.

Preferring my cookies to be all the same size, I roll the dough, quite thick, and use a small round cutter to cut the cookies.

To make the thumbprint, I prefer to use a small ball tool, to ensure the indentation are all the same size.

For the topping, I simply temper white chocolate and drop a bit in the indentation quickly adding a pistachio and chopped dried cranberry. I am sure white compound chocolate would also work.

These cookies freeze well.


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## shimmer

I swear I had a similar idea this morning on the way to work, although I was thinking more broadly, as far as holiday recipes, but in my head they are always sweets anyway.

I think we should find some way of publishing this into a cute little recipe booklet for the interested (and contributing) members of Chef Talk... whaddya say?!?

Here is the one recipe Christmas would not be Christmas without. It's not all that original, but a great memory.

Wagon Wheel Cookies (I've also heard them called Chocolate Krinkles, and other names)

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup margarine

Beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix sifted flour, baking powder, and salt together, then add to above mixture. Melt schooclate and margarine together; cool slightly; add to dough. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Dough will be quite soft. Refrigerate overnight. Form small balls and roll in powdered sugar. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350. Do not overbake!

I, of course, have fond memories of brown sticky hands from rolling them into 'perfect' balls as a child. I have never had Christmas without these cookies.

Enjoy!

~~Shimmer~~


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## isa

I have a simmilar recipe, it's called chocolate crackled cookies. You are right, it would not be Chirstmas without them. I recently realised it's the only chocolate cookie I make at Chrsitmas time. Oviously this oversight will have to be corrected.  


Shimmer, I'm always open to more sweet recipes. :lips:


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## isa

Don't tell me no ones has great cookie recipes to share? Come on! 

Athenaeus, Melina or Constantine, where is he by the way, don't you have a Kourambiedes recipe to share?


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## nancya

Chocolate Rum Balls

3 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs [12 ounces]
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

add 
1/2 cup rum of your choice
1/3 cup karo corn syrup

Mix until well blended [I love a food processor for this, chop and mix in the same bowl]. Shape into one inch balls. Stick the balls in a large ziploc with additional confectioner's sugar and shake to coat. Store in a tightly covered container.

_and for the slightly weird...._

Strawberries

2 packages strawberry jello
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup Eagle brand milk
2 tsp red food coloring
1/2 tsp vanilla.

red sugar

Mix all ingredients except for the red sugar. Let stand in fridge overnight. Shape into strawberries and roll in red sugar. Make hole for stem and insert green lead. Slivered almonds can be dipped in green food coloring and rolled in green sugar and used as stems.


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## isa

Nancy I love your rum ball recipe! I am a bit curious about the strawberries, have you ever made some?


It reminds me of a recipe for Christmas wreath made with cornflakes, green food colouring and marshmallow.


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## nancya

Of course, Isabelle. Strawberries are an old tradition in my family. Most people like them if you don't tell them about the jello. They are somewhere between a cookie and a candy.

Count on having red fingers if you make them.


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## athenaeus

Isa!!!

I just saw that!!! Of course I have and I was wondering if I was to share my recipe here. 
I thought that none really knew kourampiedes...

I will be back because without my archive I am lost .
My memory doesn't help me so much!



Nancy I will check in the super market about the ingredients for your strawberry jellos. I doubt if we have the coconut flakes here.
I will make them for some children I know. They will love them!


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## isa

Nancy How long can you keep the strwberries for?


Athenaeus I am looking forward to your recipe.


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## nancya

Isabelle - I'd guess about a week. Keep in a tight tupperware type container. In the fridge would probably last longer.

I really can't remember...I usually make to take them somewhere and they get eaten. When stale, they are pretty hard and nasty.


And Athenaeus....I'm looking forward to your recipe too...need something new for my collection!


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## karlat

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups, plus 1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda

Cream together butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugars, add oil beat until light. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, cream of tartar and soda. Add to creamed mixture a little at a time mixing well between additions. Turn mixer to high speed and beat until light and fluffy. Using two teaspoons, spoon out quarter size-sized dabs of dough and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press each lightly with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until the sides turn golden brown. 

This is from my copy of Just a Matter of Thyme cookbook. Over the years I've made these with almond extract and almond oil (fantastic) I've used peppermint and red food paste, lemon extract and finely minced lemon zest, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and dipped the glass in cinnamon sugar. I prefer to use a pastry bag with no tip instead of the teaspoons. Prep to finish I can make a cool 5 dozen little cookies in under and hour!

These crunchy melt in your mouth cookies are so yummy I get requests for this recipe all the time!


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## isa

What a versatile recipe, thanks Karla. I looked up the cookbook online, seems like a good one. Have you made many of the recipes?


Afra: I make those every year, kids, of all age, love them.


What kind of recipe are you looking for Nancy? Chocolate, nut, fruit or spice cookie? A shortbread, a rolled cookie, a biscotti or an icebox cookie? A crunchy, chewy, soft or crisp cookie? 



Ok I'l stop now.


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## karlat

The Banana Nut cake with the buttermilk, and the white chili are also some of our favorites. Pretty simple fare but great tasting. I've printed your pistacio recipe, I've got Ghiradelli white baking bars? Comparable to Lindt? My husband is a great fan of pistacios, and I'll try anything with butter in the recipe! Karla:lips:


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## isa

Karla,


I am sure Ghiradelli is fine. Not sure what baking bar are though. If you use white chocolate on it's own, you'll have to temper it first. 


P.S. I love pistachio too, would eat anything with pistachios. It's hard work to skinned but worth the effort.


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## athenaeus

Kourampiedes are cookies for Christmas.

They have very few ingredients but al of them must be of high quality.

1 kl of fresh butter(I use sheep butter because it smells great)
1/2 k of almonds blanched, roasted and chopped
1 1/2 cup of sugar.
2 k of flour 

Whisk the butter in the mixer for half an hour. Add the almonds and afterwards add slowly the flour.

Give them a round shape , like pressed meat balls and bake them in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
When they are ready you cover them with caster sugar!
But you need a lot of caster sugar.
Some people after baking them they spray them with rose water and they use the caster sugar afterwards!
They smell great but they become very sweet.

Some people use eggs in their recipe but I do not find this necessary.
Some other use oil , instead of butter. They are ok but we usually make them with oil during Lent that we cannot have butter.

IMPORTANT NOTICE :

If you make them 12 days before Christmas you should be very aware of the elfs (kalikantzaroi) that they are appearing on Earth and they love destroying kourampiedes. 
The legent says that during that period, when you make cookies you should not talk! You should make them in silence!

I think that this was a typical method of grandmothers to keep their grandchildren in order while they were preparing the cookies!


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## lynne

Being in Texas -- the land of Pecans, pecans are definitely prevalent in Christmas baked goodies. 

One of my favourites is Pecan Chewies from a book, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders by Joanne Fluke (and yes...trying telling your guests that those cookies they are enjoying so much are from a murder mystery book.....

Pecan Chews

1 cup butter
3 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
3 t. vanilla
2 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups flour

Melt butter and add brown sugar. Mix well and let cool. Add beaten eggs and mix. Add salt, baking soda, vanilla and nuts. Mix well. Add flour and mix until flour is thoroughly distributed. 

Form dough into balls with your fingers. * (walnut sized). Place them on a greased cookie sheet. Press them down with a spatula. 

Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit on sheet for 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack. 

* I just scoop and don't flatten. Cookies turn out the same.

They are crisp the first day then are chewy -- very good. Also bake well from frozen.

Happy baking!

Lynne


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## isa

Such a nice story Athenaeus. I love recipes with history. 


I realised this week that most of the cookies I make for Christmas are nuts cookies. I am happy to have two more to add to my collection. :lips: 


I also realised this week that I only make one chocolate cookie recipes for Christmas. I couln't believe it myself.


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## nancya

Those sound great Athenaeus and I like that they have only a few ingredients! Oh, yum....I just love cookies, especially ones that are made with love at holidays...

And those Pecan Chewies sound great, Lynne. Do they come out kind of like Pralines or maybe Pecan Pie? Oh, they must go on my list.

I normally make treats for friends at Christmas. I didn't last year because I was still pouting about being diagnosed diabetic. If I give most of them away, should be safe for me.

I'm not looking for anything in particular Isa...but I really like tried and true recipes. Maybe I should post my gramma's soft molasses cookies here...wow, haven't made them in a while.

_can anyone name the source of that quote?_


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## isa

You can never have too many ginger & spices cookies. Looking forward to your recipe Nancy! :lips:


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## nancya

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp hot water
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 egg
6 Tbsp cold water

Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve soda in hot water.

Mix shortening, sugar, molasses and egg until creamy. Mix into flour mixture alternately with cold water, then mix in soda.

Drop in rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar.

Bake at 400 F for approximately 12 minutes.

Notes:

I've always used shortening in the recipe but plan on trying it with butter, to see what happens.

*Timing is everything!* Ovens vary and timing is really important with these cookies. I always bake one cookie at a time until I get the timing down right. I use a timer with the capacity of timing seconds -- I remember one oven that the correct timing was 10 minutes, 9 seconds. Seriously.


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## nancya

With Athenaeus' fondness for older recipes, I thought she might enjoy these. The recipe is only a couple hundred years old - so not quite on a par with her medieval recipes, though.

1 fresh grated cocoanut
4 egg whites
1/2 pound pounded sugar
1 tsp lemon extract

Beat egg whites until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and lemon extract. Add cocoanut until very thick.

Bake on baking paper in a quick oven until yellowish.

I used powdered sugar in the recipe and baked at 350 F for about 10 minutes. These are best eaten within 48 hours.


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## isa

Nancy, can I use butter instead of shortening in Gramma's Soft Molasses Cookies? Think I'll add lots of spices too....


And I will try the coconut cookies. 


Soo many recipes so little time....


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## nancya

Isabelle....I plan to experiment with butter myself. I suspect, however, that it could make a difference. I usually add a little extra ginger, too.

By the way....your message box is full! I am winging off for a Thanksgiving Holiday --- Happy Thanksgiving to all!


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## isa

Let's compare note on this Nancy. I'll try it with butter in the next few days.


I did emptied the message box...


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## athenaeus

Wow! I tried the cocunut cookies! easy and delicious! The house smells so nicely now!

Thanks for the recipe!


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## kimmie

Nancya,

Do you know that one and where it comes from?

:lips:


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## nancya

Isabelle: Look forward to hearing how they worked!

Athenaeus: Great! Glad you liked them! [They really are easy, aren't they?]

Kimmie.....h'mn. I'm laying odds on Mrs. Fields.

My quote, by the way....was the cookie bear on the old Andy Williams show...if anybody besides me remembers him. Mom used to let me stay up until the cookie bear came on, then off to bed!


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## anneke

My current favourite which I make without a recipe. Nice and simple, the best way to enjoy nuts in cookies.

Use equal amounts (by weight) of sugar and almonds.
Add grated lemon zest to taste.
Pulse in the food processor until fine.
Add egg whites until the mixture comes together. (No more than than one egg white per 250 gr of nuts, I reckon)

Shape onto parchment paper with wet hands; flatten out.
Bake at 275'F until set and slightly golden.


I once ran out of almonds and made these with macademias. OMG they were sooooooo good!!!!!


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## kylew

These are simple and delicious. They also lend themselves to endless variations. The recipe comes from Eli Zabar via the Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

Eli's Shortbread 

¾ pound butter 
1 cup Sugar 
1 tsp. Vanilla extract 
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
¼ tsp. Salt 


Preheat oven to 350 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar until just combined. Add the vanilla. 

In a medium bowl sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface that has been dusted with flour and form into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. 

Roll the dough out to ½ thickness and cut with 3 cutter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges start to brown. 

OR: 

¼ thick for Linzer Cookies 

OR: 

Add 1 Tsp. Almond extract and 1 ½ cups chopped pecans (add after flour/salt mixture)


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## isa

I made a few shortbread batches today. My favourite? The grown up chocolate chips cookies. Shortbread dough, not too sweet, tahitian vanilla and roasted cocoa nibs, as much or as little as you want. 



Realy good :lips:


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## athenaeus

In my recipe 1 cup =1oz

3 cups of corn oil
1 ½ cup of sugar
1 ½ tsp if soda
3 tsps of baking powder
1 cup of brandy
1 cup of orange juice
Grained cinnamon and cloves

Syrup
3 cups sugar
3 cups honey
3 cups water

Flour as much as it takes.

Prepare the dough and bake it. Have in mind that they can be crispy enough because you are going to soak them in the syrup.

You follow the golden rule: Dip the cold cookies in the hot syrup, sprinkle with chopped walnuts


:chef:


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## nancya

Hi Athenaeus! [by the way, I like your new avatar.]

I am a little confused on that last recipe...

1 cup = 1 oz [so you're using 1 oz cups? ok....]

But the dough is almost all liquids? How does this work? I have never made one of these syrup soaked cookies and I am a little afraid!


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## athenaeus

My avatar is the logo of The Olympic Games of 2004 that they are going to take place in Athens! It depicts the Olympic Spirit that had taken the shape of an Olive Branch that travels on the sky and it reflects its wisdom, kindness and the message for Peace on our Earthon the very five continents.
I hope that many people will join us to celebrate the return of the Olympic Games Home and to the original Ideals of the Olympic Spirit! 

I am sorry but 1 cup, is of course 8 ounces... 
The dough is a normal cookie dough. You add as much flour as is needed.

As for the syrup. When they are cold you just dip them in the hot syrup twice. They must be soften by the syrup 

Don't forget the fresh orange juice it gives the best flavour!

Have you heard of the Greek Diples?? (Folders) 
This is the BEST of the Greek pastries.Better than baklava.


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## melina

I agree. Diples is the BEST Greek pastry by far...
And Melomakarona the best Greek cookies.


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## lobster

I wasn't in on the initial comments about skinning pistachios, but I wondered if treating them the way you do hazelnuts wouldn't make things easier? If skins are tenacious, it's usually because they are acidic. Blanching them in water made basic with baking soda reacts with the acid skins, loosening them better than water alone. I'll attempt to find some pistachios and give it a test this weekend...


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## isa

It's easier to blanch the pistachios lobster. I tried it in the oven and it made a mess. The trick I realised is to blanch them for a bit longer and then roll in the towel to loosen the skin.


If there is an easier way to do it I'd love to know. I have another pound that need to loose its skin.


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## emmbai90

Yummy! they all sound good  anyone got a yummy but simple shortbread recipe that comes out great in any oven?


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