IMBB 10: Cookie Swap

A big thank you to Domestic Goddess for this month's theme.  Hop on over to her blog to read her IMBB #10 cookie swap write-up.

I love cookies. Maybe even more than I love pie. I had recently posted two of my favorite cookie recipes (oatmeal-cranberry and apricot-chocolate chip), which left me in a quandry of what to bake. In the end, I couldn't decide on just one, so here are my three offerings:  one for elegance, one for simplicity, and one for old-fashioned decadence.

Elegance: Ginger Thins

1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs confectioner's sugar
3 Tbs corn syrup
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground giner
pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift flour, ginger, and salt together.  Put butter, sugar, and corn syrup in a small saucepan and heat gentle, stirring, until sugar disolves.  Add flour mixture and stir until lumps are gone.  (Or as gone as you can get them.)  Drop small spoonfuls on one of the parchment-lined baking tray.  Leave plenty of space (4-6 inches) between the cookies.  Bake for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool for about 30 seconds before the next step.  (You can get the second tray going during this time.)

Now the tricky part... You need to lift the cookies and wrap them around a rolling pin (the thin rolling pins work best) or tall thin glass.   If the cookie is too hot, it will stretch and fall apart.  If it's too cool, it won't be flexible enough to wrap around the rolling pin.  There are a lot of ways to get the cookies to the rolling pin.  You can use a thin metal spatula to lift them off the tray.  Or you can quickly cut the parchment paper around the cookie and, with parchment paper on the outside, wrap them around the pin.  Or, you can put the rolling pin over the cookie, and quickly lift and roll the cookie onto the pin.  Or...  (Or — just had this thought — even pre-cut the paper into 5 or 6 inch squares.  That would make lifting the cookies up easy!)

The more "brown" the cookie is, the faster it will stiffen as it cools, so I wrap the darkest ones first.

Simplicity:  Cinnamon Palmiers

This recipe requires only three ingredients and a minimum of preparation, what could be more simple?  Yet they look so fancy!

Pre-made 8oz frozen puff pastry sheets.

Per pastry sheet, you will need: 1/2 cup of super fine sugar (though regular sugar works fine too) 1 tsp cinnamon

Thaw the puff pastry to almost thawed.  (If it's a bit firm it's easier to handle.) 

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

You can roll out the puff pastry to 10"x12" inches, if you like.  This will get you a few more cookies, but can make the dough more diffcult to handle.

Mix sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the mixture on a work surface.  Lay the puff pastry on top.  Sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of sugar mixture on top of the pastry.  Starting on a long edge, roll the pastry up to its center.  Roll up the other side so that the two rolled edges meet in the center.  Slice into cookies 1/2 inch thick.  Lay them on the parchment paper with enough space (a few inches) for the cookies to expand.  Cook 10-12 minutes or until golden.  Let cool for a few minutes on the pan before putting them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

It's easy to burn these, so watch them carefully.

Decadence: Hello Dolly Bars

This recipe comes from Penzey's Spices and is nearly identical to Seven Layer Bars.  Chocolate, caramel, coconut, and nuts...  Mmmm!

1 2/3 cup ground graham crackers (10-12 graham crackers)
1 stick butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (pick your favorite.  I like pecans.)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
14 or 15 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix cinnamon with graham cracker crumbs.  Add butter and stir to moisten. Press the mixture into a 9"x13" pan. Top the crust with the chopped nuts. Top with chocolate chips. Top with coconut.  Mix vanilla into the condensed milk. Pour evenly over the top. Bake 20-25 minutes until the coconut is becoming golden brown. Important: Cool before cutting!

Comments

[Jennifer]

Hey, Nicole! Three wonderful recipes! I had no idea palmiers were so easy and had so few ingredients. I think I am going to have tobookmark these three recipes for my upcoming Christmas cookies and wedding dessert table!

Thanks for taking part in IMBB # 10!

[Jennifer]

Oh my goodness, I am very tired! I'm so sorry, LISA for calling you Nicole. I was on the phone with a friend who was talking to me about her sister, NICOLE and that's what came out via my fingers. I'M SO SORRY!

[AJ]

Wow, I am so impressed that you took on THREE interesting recipes! Rock on sista! :) PS, they look great!!!

[Kitchen Chick]

Jennifer — no problem. Happens to everyone. As long as you're not making your own puff pastry, then yes, palmiers are so easy. The sugar can burn very easily, however, so watch them closely.

AJ — I was fortunate to have house guests during this IMBB, which meant I had plenty of people ready and willing to eat all these cookies. (Not that I'm not willing to eat them myself, but eating all of them would not have been a good idea for my waistline.)

[Cathy]

Wow - you're cookies are beautiful! I love the photo of the ginger thin - it looks like art glass or something! The palmiers look so good - makes me think of the "elephant ears" we used to love as kids. I'll have to try those - they sound too easy not to!

[Mellissa]

The ginger thins look so pretty. I can't wait to make them myself, only, I'm not sure to what temperature I should preheat the oven. Sorry for asking so many questions of you, but I think your blog is wonderful.

[Kitchen Chick]

Cathy: the palmiers really are so easy. The most important thing is to monitor them in your oven. The timing is important — one moment they're beautifully golden, then next the sugar has carmelized and burnt. It's better to have them slightly undercooked (where the sugar hasn't glazed the outside edge) than overcooked.

Mellisa: Oops! 375 F. I'll fix the post right away. I can't emphasize the parchment paper enough. I think simply greasing the baking tray would result in ginger thins glued to the tray.

I'm glad you like my blog.

[pty_cooking_diva]

Hola LISA!!! Your palmiers look perfectly baked and scrumptiously prepared. I am a great fan of everything made with fillo or puff pastry :) Great job!

[Kitchen Chick]

Bueno dias. Thank you. I speak only a few words of Spanish, but fortunately my mother-in-law is fluent, so I'll be using her to translate some of your tasty-looking recipes.

[Drink Recipes]

Thanks for the cookie recipe. They are very unique and I like the first two. I will try to make them this month for a special gathering I am going to host.

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