Category Archives: Bakery Miscellaneous

Bakery Miscellaneous

Cherry Pistachio Biscotti

Today’s mission was to use more of the pistachio nuts on hand.   At $8.50 for a 12 oz. package those nuts are destined for a more interesting use than eating raw. When I found this recipe online for biscotti using dried cherries and pistachios I knew I had just found  my ‘pistachio use’ winner of the day!

Biscotti are twice-baked cookies with a dry, crisp texture perfect for dunking in coffee; they are a cross between a biscuit and a cracker in many ways.  Today’s recipe used both vanilla and almond extract for a delicate flavor with the dried cherries adding  a sweet chewiness and the pistachios supplying crunch.  The dough is very stiff so sprinkle your counter and dust your hands with flour as well for rolling and shaping the biscotti log.  You bake the dough in log form first, allow it to cool slightly, then slice it and bake again.  The length you bake the second time determines how dry the slices become. I like biscotti dry and firm so it holds up for dunking.

With snow in the forecast for southern Missouri, I feel ready. Biscotti, hot coffee, and a good book; let it snow, let it snow indeed!

Cherry Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Wesson oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
1-3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions

In a small bowl, beat sugar and oil until blended. Beat in eggs, then extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl, stir to sift; gradually add to sugar mixture and beat well. The dough will be stiff. Stir in pistachios and cranberries and blend well.

Sprinkle counter liberally with flour and turn dough out on counter. With floured hands, roll and shape the dough into a 12×3”rectangle. Pat and roll and flatten the ends of the log as you work. Lift the log and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until set and firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack.  Turn oven temperature to 325.

When biscotti log is cool enough to handle, 15-20 minutes, transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a sharp knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on fresh parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes then turn the slices and bake another 7 minutes or until firm and dry. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen biscotti.

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Bakery Miscellaneous

Betty’s Molasses Cookies


Day 3 Cookie Bake! My heart beats faster when I run across a recipe that is obviously well-used and treasured. This recipe came to me from mama’s recipe box and it to her from her close friend Betty Hopkins. Miss Betty’s Molasses Cookies made for a satisfying and wholesome end to cookie baking time today and I definitely see why mama insisted these cookies be included in my cookbook.  These proved to be a perfect cold weather stay-at-home-with-a book treat.

The buttermilk is in the dough, they aren’t glazed, and they have a soft, yet chewy, texture.  They bake round and tall and fill your kitchen with the aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  I love the dark raisins and the walnuts I used as they make  the cookies dense and satisfying; these are definitely cookies to sink your teeth into, and, needless to say, so perfect with a glass of cold milk (yes, for lunch). The molasses sweetly softens them but also makes for a sticky dough and these benefit from just a bit of shaping once they are on the cookie sheets. The spices layer with the molasses throughout and I have to say there really isn’t a thing that needs changing here, proving once again that old recipes are, like old friendships,  treasures indeed.

Betty’s Molasses Cookies

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Directions  Preheat oven to 400. In large mixing bowl, cream shortening, sugar, and the molasses with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add the egg and buttermilk and beat briefly with electric mixer. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl and stir with a fork to sift. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture gradually, blending well with a large rubber spatula after each addition. Fold in the raisins and the nuts. Bake on lightly-greased cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Store airtight. Yields 5 dozen.

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Bakery Miscellaneous

Lemon Sunshine Bursts


Day 2 of “use-up-the-buttermilk” cookie baking plan led straight to preparing these fabulous shortbread-type cookies on Wednesday. I added the “burst” to their name because the lemon zest in the cookie dough bursts through with every bite, and there is  NO gloomy winter day that isn’t brightened by taking the time to bake these flavorful morsels.

These are not at all sweet but they are buttery and crumbly and tangy all in one bite! Like all shortbread batters, the ingredients are simple: butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour. Set your butter out early to soften and don’t skip chilling the dough for 30 minutes once mixed; once chilled you can slice the logs easily before baking them resulting in pretty and uniform pieces to enjoy with a cup of tea and your book.  Allow the powdered sugar-fresh lemon juice glaze to dry before storing the cookies in an airtight container. The glaze does ‘sink in’ to the cookies and while you can’t see it, when you taste a cookie, you definitely will enjoy a pop of lemon.  If you love sunshine, lemons, and rich buttery flavor, this is the cookie for you!

Lemon Sunshine Bursts

Ingredients

6 T. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 T. buttermilk
1-1/2 tsps. finely grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T. lemon juice

Directions

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add flour and beat until dough begins to form. Add buttermilk and beat well.  Add lemon  zest and salt, fold well, and stir until dough comes together. Divide dough into two parts. Roll each part into a log that is about 1.5″ wide. Wrap each log in plastic wrap. and chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Take dough out of refrigerator and cut into 1/4 inch” slices. Arrange cookies on baking sheets and bake until dry and turning golden at the edges, about 14 minutes.

Cool cookies completely. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice. When cookies are cool enough to handle, dip the top of each cookie in the glaze. Let dry for 10 minutes before storing, airtight.  Yields 2 dozen cookies.

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Bakery Miscellaneous

Brown Sugar Cookies with Buttermilk Glaze

First up, on Tuesday, nibbles of dark brown sugar cookies with plenty of chewy texture glazed with buttermilk and powdered sugar. The dough is a basic sugar cookie recipe made with dark sugar.  With the buttermilk in the glaze, this is a cookie of contrasts. Their soft centers balance with the crisp edges, their chewy texture pairs opposite the smoothness of the glaze, and brown sugar answers the  tang of  the buttermilk .  Contrast and complements all in one cookie.

Soften your butter early on then cream it with the sugar and an egg. Add in dry ingredients gradually, then bake and you’re all pau except for the glaze. Flavored with cinnamon and allspice, rich with butter, they bake quickly; just eight minutes was fine.  Let them cool completely before drizzling on the glaze

I found these tasted even better on Wednesday after sitting, airtight, overnight. Their mellowing set the most magnificent aroma wafting  when I opened the container, so be ready for that! The recipe made 3 dozen.  When you next have time, why not declare a cookie day and bake these, make a pot of fresh coffee, and sit down with your book?  Sweet nibbling!

Brown Sugar Cookies w/Buttermilk Glaze

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
12 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Add flour mixture and beat until well incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as you go.

Drop by large tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8-10 minutes until edges are browned. Cool on the sheet for a nice crisp outside and a soft inside. Cool completely before glazing. Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Buttermilk Glaze

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Use a whisk to blend all ingredients until smooth.  Drizzle over cooled cookies with a fork.

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