Chocolate Cookie Dough Cutouts

I'm not generally a big fan of Valentine's Day, but this year, my friend Margaux has been determined to get me to like Valentine's Day.  Since she's one of my best friends, I decided to give it a shot...and to my surprise, I actually have had a lot of fun!  I discovered that I had a heart-shaped cookie cutter, so when I saw this recipe that combines three of my favorite things in heart shape, I had to try it.  I mean, it's chocolate, cookie dough and ganache...what's not to love?!

I surprised Margaux and her sister with two cookies at Starbucks on Saturday...and then a few Russian friends sampled them Sunday night.  The verdict was unanimous...this recipe is a keeper!  So, without further ado...chocolate cookie dough cutouts!

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cutouts

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Cookie Layer:

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Cookie Dough Layer:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. milk (I used organic skim milk)

1 2/3 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

Ganache Layer:

3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips)

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/8 to 1/4 c. milk (I added until I got the consistency I wanted)

For the chocolate cookie layer, mix the butter and sugars together until well-blended.  Stir in egg and vanilla extract until smooth.  Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa.  Shape the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.  

Once the dough is firm enough, roll the dough on a cocoa powder-dusted surface.  Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes as desired.  Bake for 10 minutes.

For the cookie dough layer, mix the butter and sugars together until well-blended.  Stir in vanilla extract and milk until smooth.  Add flour and salt.  Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes the same size as the chocolate cookie layer.  Place the cookie dough cutouts on top of the baked chocolate cookie cutouts.

For the ganache, melt chocolate with butter and milk at 15 second intervals in a microwave on high power (be careful not to burn the chocolate!).  Add milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

Cover the cookie dough layer with ganache and decorate as desired.

Chocolate and cookie dough and ganache, oh my!!  They are definitely rich cookies, but they're perfect for a special occasion or if you want to impress someone with a kind of cookie they've never seen before.  I definitely recommend a glass of milk to go with them!

If you want to get creative, play around with different extracts (I'd imagine almond extract in the chocolate cookie layer might be tasty!) or add some instant espresso powder in with your dry ingredients (for the chocolate cookie layer again).  Let me know what sorts of combinations you come up with!

Hope everyone has a very happy Valentine's Day!

<3 Riley

Vanilla Melting Shortbread

A couple of years ago when I went on a study abroad trip to Scotland, I came back with a few new obsessions: cashmere, plaid...and shortbread (yes, I know...stereotypical tourist stuff!).  After downing a couple of boxes of the Walker's variety, my obsession waned a bit, but I still hold a special place in my heart for it!  So, whenever I come across an appealing shortbread recipe, I always tuck it away for the day when a shortbread craving hits me.  Today happened to be one of those days!

This particular recipe is another from BakeBakeBake that I modified a bit.  It's an incredibly simple recipe (as most plain shortbread recipes are, with the occasional variation in type of flour or whether or not they use cornstarch), so it's quite convenient if you need a fast and elegant dessert.  It's also very easy to put your own spin on this recipe - throw in some chocolate or butterscotch chips, change up the type of extract, dip an end of them in melted chocolate... Shortbread recipes are great to have fun with!

Vanilla Melting Shortbread

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 270 degrees F.  Very lightly grease an 8in x 8in pan.

Mix together the butter and powdered sugar until well-blended (the colder your butter, the more difficult this will be...but colder butter also tends to result in flakier shortbread if that's your preference!).  Mix in the vanilla.  Add the flour and cornstarch and mix until fluffy.

Using the prepared pan, press the dough into the pan.  Using a fork or toothpick, make several tiny holes in the dough prior to baking. Bake for 50-60 minutes.  If the edges begin to brown, it's been in the oven too long, so be sure to keep an eye on it!

The shortbread was a hit with my family...I just made sure not to mention how much butter was in it when my health-conscious father decided to take a taste!  And a quick note about vanilla extract...I strongly believe that in recipes like this it is very important to use a good quality vanilla extract.  I prefer Nielson-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla (which you can buy at Sur La Table or Williams-Sonoma...or on Amazon if you're like me and aren't always close to one of those stores).  Some of my friends call me crazy, but I think the difference in taste is very evident when using pure as opposed to the fake stuff.  If you don't believe me, try a taste test sometime!  So, go ahead and have fun inventing your own shortbread creations...let me know what all you come up with!

Happy baking...

Riley

Christmas Cookies

One of my earliest baking memories was making Christmas cookies every year with my family.  We've used the same recipe for as long as I can remember, from the same old cookbook that continues to reside in my parents' kitchen cupboard (and that I've already claimed as part of my inheritance someday).  We've had a few fun stories and odd traditions evolve over the years as my siblings and I get older, but the cookies always stay the same.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it uses almond extract.  It gives these cookies a little bit more of a kick than most sugar cut out cookies.  It also makes them slightly addictive (at least to me!)!  Hopefully you enjoy them just as much as me and my family have over the years!

Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter (I use unsalted), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix together powdered sugar and butter until well blended.  Add in extracts and egg.  Mix in the remaining ingredients. Once the dough has been mixed together, shape into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for 2 or more hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  After dough has chilled, roll out on a floured (or powdered sugar-ed) surface and cut out shapes as desired.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 5-6 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.

For icing, I use a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze.  It's very sweet, but it hardens well and takes far less time than royal icing.  It isn't as easy to decorate with as royal icing, so don't expect intricate designs if you take this icing route!  But...it's our tradition, so we always make the best decorations we can with our powdered sugar glaze!

That's it for today.  I hope you all have an excellent holiday season whatever holiday you celebrate!

Merry Christmas Eve...and Merry Baking :)

Riley