(Salted) Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Hi, there. Long time no see, eh? Sorry for neglecting the blog for so long. I swear it wasn't on purpose, things just were pre~tty crazy at this side of the world. But before you forget about me, I bring you this sweet treat.  It's pretty darn delicious - not to mention addicting! The original recipe calls for fleur de sel, but I didn't have it on hand so I just ommited it. And it turned out delicious all the same. I added some nuts to give it some crunch. Yum! Next time I'd add more caramel sauce, though 'cause I thought my layer was too thin and I couldn't taste the caramel. These bars are a-ma-zing, I'm salivating just thinking about it. Do me a favor and try it as soon as possible, please! All the changes I've made are in italics.

Hope to see you soon!

~Ana.

Cookie Bars
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
170g (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar - used refined sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract - used 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
6 tablespoons salted caramel sauce*
fleur de sel, for sprinkling - didn't use
1/4 cup cashew nuts, chopped

*Caramel sauce

Tracey used a home made caramel sauce but I was lazy and melted 140g of caramel candy with 2 tablespoons heavy cream using the microwave.

To make the cookie bars: Preheat oven to 325 F/160ºC with a rack in the lower third. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to allow you to lift the bars out after baking. Spray the aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. In a second bowl, combine the butter and both sugars, whisking until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and whisk to completely incorporate. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and use a rubber spatula to fold the dry into the wet just until combined. (The batter will be quite thick.) Use the rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan, pressing it into an even layer in the bottom. Pour the caramel sauce over the cookie dough, leaving just a little space around the edges. Use a small cookie scoop to dollop the remaining cookie dough over the salted caramel. Press down gently with your fingertips to distribute. It's fine if the caramel layer isn't completely covered - it will spread to cover as it bakes. Sprinkle the top with fleur de sel. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown and slightly firm to the touch. The bars will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan when they're done.

Remove the pan to a wire rack. Let the bars cool completely before lifting them out of the pan and cutting into squares to serve.

From here.

Snickerdoodles

I know, I know, it's been forever since I've posted here. Things have been pretty busy on my side of the world, but I haven't forgotten about OSSD. A couple of weeks ago my mom asked me when I was going to make a ginger cake. I told her I would make one soon, and instead I ended up making snickerdoodles. I have no idea why, but I wanted to bake these instead. So for those who don't know snickerdooles are like butter cookies covered with cinnamon and sugar.

The recipe is taken from Betty Crocker.com. It's a pretty standard recipe. The only change I made is using only butter instead of butter and shortening. Changes and comments are in italics.

The only comments I can make about these cookies, are that they are very sweet. I thought that I had a sweet tooth, but these are way too sweet for me. I would have loved these when I was a kid, when I used to actually eat granulated sugar *shudder*. Another thing is the serving size. On bettycrocker.com it's states that it serves four-I think the author meant 4 dozen because the batter was so much, I froze some to use for another time. With that said, it's great being back, and I hope I can post more in the future. Happy Baking!

~Ann

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening (I used 1 cup of butter instead)

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all purpose or unbleached flour

2 teaspoon cream of tartar (Back in the day, cream of tartar was used as a leavened agent. If you can't find cream of tartar, then use baking powder instead)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400F

2. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Rolls balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Honey

I don't know what I was thinking when I suggested honey. It was so hard to find a recipe with honey as the main ingredient. I was feeling like making honey buns, but I kept finding honey bun cake, and you know what? Honey bun cake does not contain an ounce of honey-I don't get it. Anyway, from the relatively few recipes that I found online, I chose Old German Honey Cookies from allrecipes.ca. There have been good reviews from people who have baked these cookies, so I decided to try baking these for myself. I had to cut the amount in half because the quantity was enough to feed an army, but these cookies turned out surprisingly well. When I was making the dough, I thought about sprinkling some coarse cane sugar on top to add taste and texture. If delicate had a taste, these German honey cookies would be it. Without the cane sugar, they are light, fluffy, and pair quite perfectly with a warm beverage.

-Ann

Old German Honey Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup of coarse sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt together sugar, shortening, and honey. Let it cool.
2. Mix together eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and ginger. Gradually add to cooled honey mixture.
3. Slowly add 4 cups of flour to mixture. Stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
4. Sprinkle some coarse sugar on top of each cookie. Bake at 350ºF/180ºC until golden (10-12 minutes).

Coffee

Don't you just love walking into someones home, or even being in your own home, and smell freshly baked cookies that just came out of the oven? That's how it is at my place now, as I just finished baking Mocha Truffle Cookies-yes, you read correctly, Mocha-Truffle-Cookies...it tastes as divine as it sounds. Now I have to admit, that I baked these last minute because my last batch was a disaster. When I was making the dough, I knew there was something off about it, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was, even my mother who checked out what I was doing, commented that the dough looked unusually dry. It wasn't until I started baking the first batch that I realized that I totally forgot to add sugar. Perhaps the missing sugar is partial to the crumbly effect of the dough, but I was also suspicious of the large amount of flour ( 2 cups) that the recipe calls for. When I re-did the recipe, I included all the ingredients accordingly-even the sugar, however I cut the flour to 1 1/2 cups. The texture was perfect, the cookies came out great, and I'm loving the smell of my home.

-Ann

Mocha Truffle Cookies*

1/2 cup butter/margarine 

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 tablespoon instant coffee

3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour (I advise you use 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Melt butter with 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a large sauce pan. Remove from heat and stir in coffee crystals.

2. Cool five minutes and combine sugar, eggs, and vanilla with coffee mixture.

3. In a medium bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir into coffee mixture, then add remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonful onto lightly greased baking sheets. (I used parchment paper.)

4. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan to cool on wire rack.

*I wrote down the recipe years ago and didn't put the authors name, so I have no idea where I got it from, but I did not create this recipe...even though I kinda wish I did.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal was the ingredient of the week for Ana and I. At first I was feeling for oatmeal cookies, but then I found an oatmeal bar recipe on Canadianfamily.ca. This recipe has a different twist than the typical oatmeal bar/granola by using maple syrup, orange zest and cinnamon. The good thing about these bars is that they taste amazing. They are way better and "healthier" (as in less fattening) than store bought granola bars, but the bad thing is that they are quite addictive, I simply can't eat just one.

This recipe is made for a 9-inch square pan, which I currently do not have, so in order to accommodate my pan, which is 13 X 9 inches I increased the recipe by half, so if instead of 1/2 cup of sugar I used 3/4 cup. Knowing how much of a klutz I am, I wrote down the revised ingredients before I started and made sure I had enough ingredients, and it turned out well.

-Ann

Awesome Oatmeal Bars

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick, instant, or 1 minute oatmeal)

1/2 cup wheat germ or bran (I used bran)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Line a 9-inch (2.5L) square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides so you can easily lift the baked bars out.

2. In a large pan heat butter, maple syrup and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute; remove saucepan from heat. Stir in oats, wheat germ/bran, vanilla, orange, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Stir in dried fruit.

3. Spread mixture evenly in pan, pressing down firmly using base of measuring cup. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a deep golden colour. Cool completely in pan or wire rack. Once cooled, use parchment to lift to a cutting board; cut into bars with a large serrated knife. 

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My plan was to make Apple Oatmeal Cake for this week and I did. But it was a disaster. =( I don't know what happened, maybe the flour listed wasn't enough, maybe I did something wrong, I don't know. All I know is that I had to come up with a plan B, which fortunately I already had. And what a delicious plan B it was. Oh, and healthy, too - oatmeal, bananas and nuts, that's healthy, isn't it?

I tried this recipe a long time ago, when I was still living in Toronto so Ann had the chance to try this cookies., too. She liked them as much aas I did. I think she even asked for the recipe, which I forgot to give her. So hey Ann, here's the recipe for you! Sorry for the (long) delay!

Just a note: these aren't crunchy nor chewy cookies. They are cake-y cookies. Delicious cake-y, soft, taste-like-this-muffins cookies. So good! To make it even better, this cookies don't require a mixer, just one bowl and a wooden spoon. =)

-Ana

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

From here
3/4 cup oatmeal

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg (omitted)

2 ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups flour

Chocolate chips - optional

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine ingredients in order listed. It will be runny but that`s okay.

3. Drop tablespoonfuls  onto a greased baking sheet - I didn't greased mine and it was fine. Make sure to leave some space between the cookies because they will spread.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on size of cookies, or until the edges are browned. Mine took 15 min. Be careful to not overbake.

Coconut

It was my turn to choose the main ingredient for this week, and from my gi-normous list of possible things to bake I decided upon coconut. As far as I know we haven't made anything with coconut so I was excited to bake something with it. So this week I made Coconut Cranberry Cookies. Pretty funky huh? The recipe that I used is a mishmash of different recipes and I changed it up a bit so basically this recipe is something that I made up. I like my cookies to have three components 1: big; 2: soft; and 3: chewy and these coconut cranberry cookies definitely fulfilled my requirements but if you prefer them crunchy you can always bake them a bit longer.

-Ann

Coconut Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup dried cranberries (if cranberries are unavailable then substitute raisins)

1/2 cup shredded coconuts ( I used sweetened coconuts but you can use unsweetened if you desire)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl mix the shortening, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.

3. Add the flour, baking soda and continue mixing.

4. Fold in dried cranberries and shredded coconuts.

5. Roll tablespoons (I use a regular spoon if you want them big) of dough into balls and flatten them unto baking sheet a few inches apart.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool before devouring them-cause you will!

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This week's challenge was to make something with coconut so I've decided to make Coconut Shortbread. This shortbread is amazing! Crunchy with a subtle sweetness that makes you wanna eat the whole batch by yourself. Uh-oh so dangerous.

I adapted this recipe from here. It's supposed to be  Toasted Coconut Shortbread, but I skipped the toasting the coconut part because it's so hot around this parts these days that we use the oven only when extremely necessary. 

Below, you will find the halved recipe. 

-Ana

Coconut Shortbread

Ingredients

1/2 cup (45g) unsweetened desiccated coconut - I used sweetened coconut

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (25g) confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract - I used essence

1 2/3 cups (185g) all-purpose flour - I used a little more than that

Directions

1. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until blended.

2. Mix in salt and vanilla.

3. Beat in flour in 2 additions. I thought my dough was a little soft so I added about 1/4 cup extra flour.

4. Stir in coconut.

5. Gather dough together; divide in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in the fridge to chill - about 30 min.

6. Preheat oven to 165ºC. Roll out dough in floured surface and cut into desired shape.

7. Bake for 20 min. or until light golden. Mine took 25-30 min. Cool on baking sheets for 10 min then transfer to racks and let it cool completely. Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.

8. Drizzle some with melted white-chocolate.

Yields 24.

For the past four and a half months, we have showcased our baking experience on our blog. It's been quite an experience as we have tried recipes from around the world, from North to South America; produced holiday treats, such as Halloween and Christmas (see recipe below), made some celebratory treats (remember cupcake day?) and even meet a celebrity baker (see last week's post) we are closing a chapter in Oh So Sinfully Delicious by making our last baked good...

...in Canada. Ana will be going back home to Brazil, however, I (Ann) will join her where we'll continue baking more recipes. However, before we leave this great, but cold country, we couldn't possibly leave without doing some Christmas baking. This week we decided to do a classic with a twist-Chai Gingerbread Cookie. This recipe was taken from Chatelaine 2010 holiday cookie collection. These cookies are simply amazing and would make a great addition to your holiday feast.

Chai Gingerbread Cookie

From here
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup fancy molasses

1 chai-tea bag

Directions

1. In a large bowl, using a fork, stir flour with spices and baking soda. Slit open a chai-tea bag. Stir 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the leaves into flour mixture along with spices. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, beat butter with sugar for 2 min. Beat in egg, then molasses. Make a well in centre of flour mixture, then pour in molasses mixture. Stir until most of molasses is absorbed. Gently knead until dough is an even colour. Divide into 4 portions
2. Shape each into a ball, then flatten slightly into a disc . Wrap separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 min or up to a week. Or overwrap with foil and freeze up to 1 month.
3. When ready to bake, remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll, 5 to 10 min. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly spray or oil a baking sheet. Place a disc of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Roll dough no thicker than ¼ in. (0.5 cm). Cut out shapes with cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet about 1 in. (2.5 cm) apart.
4. Bake in centre of preheated oven just until edges begin to darken, 7 to 10 min. Remove cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in an airtight container in a cool place up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

Ann's Thoughts

Well what can I say, we ended this Canadian blog with a bang, these cookies were amazing, I would even have to say, the best cookies that we've baked so far on this blog. That's not to say that our other cookies were not good, because they were, but these chai gingerbread cookies came out perfectly, not even Ana could find fault in them.

Our cookie decor was not that great, but we still had fun decorating them. My only advice would be to use royal icing. It's thicker and easier to work with when decorating cookies. We decided to make these cookies last minute, so we had to improvise and use water and confectionar sugar which makes for a runny icing mix but Ana was able to make the outline of the cookies and we used whatever candy we had on hand for the decor.

To wrap things up, these cookies are awesome, and you absolutely have to try this recipe out. And as the famous poem goes: "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Ana's Thoughts

One word: yumy! These cookies are fantastic. Best gingerbread cookies evah! haha I've had gingerbread cookies before and they were not even close to these ones we've baked. They will be my go-to gingerbread cookies from now on. Super easy to make, super fast - 10 min. tops - and no need refrigerating after cutting, that's a plus for me. And they are delicious - did I mention that already? What else do you want from a gingerbread cookie? Go make them. Now. =)

This is our last post of the year. =( Unfortunately, our busy schedules - haha-  won't allow more baking, but we'll be back next year with tons of tasty goods for you. We here at OSSD wish you all a Sweet Xmas and a wonderful New Year, full of joy, peace, love and cookies!...and cakes...and chocolate...and pies..... =D

Identification: Mr. Gingerbread Man
Cause of death: Yummyness

See you soon!

We consider biscotti as being the grown up version of cookies. These narrow crispy cookies are perfect for dipping in one's tea or coffee. For those who have not heard of biscotti, they come from Italy and originally are almond flavoured, but today come in a vast array of flavours such as dark or white chocolate, lemon and poppy seed, and espresso flavour, just to name a few. We've chosen to stick with tradition and do a vanilla and almond biscotti and we made a batch of chocolate chip biscotti for those with nut allergies. The vanilla and almond recipe was taken from food stylist and author Donna Hay. Changes we have made to the recipe are written in italics. So bake, eat, and enjoy.

Vanilla Almond + Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Slightly modified from our beloved book

2 cups plain all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup blanched almonds (we used 1/4 cup)

3 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup dark chocolate chip

Preheat hte oven to 160ºC (325ºF).


Place flour, baking powder, sugar in a bowl and mix together.

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to form a dough. (You can use your hands. It's easier.)

Divide the dough in two.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead each piece until smooth.


Add the chocolate chips to one of the dough and the almonds in the other one and knead again.

Shape into logs and flatten slightly. Place the logs on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 35 min.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Cut the logs into 5mm thick slices and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.

Bake for 10-15 min. or until the biscotti are crisp. Store in an airtight container and serve dunked into espresso coffee or liqueur.

Makes 40.

Ann's Thoughts

Biscotti has to be the most time consuming batch of cookies I've ever made because it consists of baking it, then waiting for it to really cool down, and then re-bake it again-so I'd say it takes about an hour and a half to make, compared to the average cookie which takes ten, twelve, fifteen minutes to bake? Anyway if you do decide to make these cookies, plan accordingly because they do take time to make.

This recipe is suppose to yield 40 biscotti, but the way Donna Hay makes them are way too thin. We made ours thicker and ended up with half that amount.

Our batch did not come out the way we wanted them to (see Ana's comments below). But it was an honest mistake, which I've made a couple times before on this blog. Next time we bake this, we'll get it right.

Ana's Thoughts

Disappointed. I'm so disappointed. With myself. I messed up this recipe. =( Such an easy recipe and with just a few ingredients and I managed to spoiled it. I put baking soda instead of baking POWDER. Damn you English and my lack of attention! I'm starting to think that we here at OSSD definitely don't get along very well with baking powder/soda.

Because of this little mistake our biscotti had a bitter aftertaste. =s Such a shame. Everything else went well, though. They were very easy to make. I'll definitely be making them again.

Try it. You will love it. Just remember: baking POWDER, not baking soda!

'Til next week!

;)

Receita em Português
Biscotti de baunilha e amêndoas e gotas de chocolate
2 xíc. de farinha
1 1/2 col. (chá) de fermento em pó
3/4 xíc. de açúcar
3/4 xíc. de amêndoas, sem casca (Nós usamos somente 1/4 de xícara.)
3 ovos
2 1/2 col.(chá) de extrato/essência de baunilha
1/4 de xíc. de gotas de chocolate meio amargo (Opcional)


Preaqueça o forno a 160ºC.
Numa tigela grande, junte a farinha, o fermento e o açúcar. Acrescente os ovos e a baunilha e misture até formar uma massa. Divida a massa em duas.
Em uma superfície levemente enfarinhada, sove as massas por aproximadamente 1 minuto, acrescente as amêndoas em uma das massas e as gotas na outra. Sove mais um pouco.
Role a massa até que fique parecida com uma baguete média. Coloque em uma assadeira de beiradas baixas forrada com papel manteiga e leve ao forno por 35 minutos. Retire do forno e deixe esfriar completamente.
Corte as "baguetes" em fatias de 5 mm e leve para assar por mais 10-15 minutos ou até que fiquem crocantes, na mesma assadeira.
Rende 40.

This week's special is two for one! Two great cookie recipes in one amazing entry. One of our goals in creating this blog was to make desserts from different countries around the world. Well this week, we've decided to make Greek Almond cookies. According to Nancy Gaifyllia from about.com, these shortbread cookies, known in Greek as Kourabiethes, are usually made for special occasions or religious holidays. These cookies are not only super easy, but more importantly super quick to make, and will surely be a hit at any special event.
The second set of cookies are Jam Drops. There really isn't any special background info on Jam Drops but the reason why this recipe was chosen for this week is because the ingredients are very similar to Greek Almond cookies, and the finished product is an array of button shaped cookies that look like they are embedded with gems. Both recipes were taken from Donna Hay's book Modern Classics 2. Any changes to the recipes are written in italics. Happy Baking!

Greek Almond Cookies

250g (8oz) butter, softened

3/4 cup icing (confectioner's) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

100g (3 1/2 oz) chopped toasted almonds

Icing sugar to serve

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC (325ºF).

2. Place the butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with electric beaters until light and creamy.

3. Add the flour and almonds and mix to form a smooth dough. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the dough is firm.

4. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into a crescent shape and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.

5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks. To serve, sprinkle liberally with icing sugar. Makes 35.

Jam Drops

180g (6oz) butter, softened

1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

1 egg
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Jam/Jelly to decorate


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
2. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.
3. Add the egg and beat well.
4. Stir through the flour and baking powder and mix to a dough.
5. Roll 2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper, allowing room for the biscuits to spread, and flatten slightly (Oops, we forgot this step.).
6. Press a finger into the middle of the dough to make an indent.(We used the back of a 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon) Fill the hole with jam.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Add a little more jam to the holes while the biscuits are hot (Ours had a lot of jam, so we skipped this step.). Cool on racks. Makes 60.

Ann's Thoughts

When I was checking out info on the almond cookies, I noticed from the images shown on google search pages, the Greek almond cookies took on multiple forms, from your typical circular cookie, to s-shaped biscuits. Although in Ms. Hay's recipe she instructs her readers to form the cookies into little crescents, you can shape them in whichever way you desire - as long as they look good, kay?

Between the two cookies that we baked, I preferred the Jam Drops. The Greek cookies were tasty, but being allergic to nuts - horrible but true - we made a batch of almond cookies sans almonds. Because this part of the ingredient was missing, they technically weren't almond cookies. Oddly enough I'm not allergic to almond extracts. So now I'm wondering how these cookies would taste by replacing vanilla extract with almond extract. It's something worth trying in the future.

The Jam Drops were so pretty they kind of remind me of Fruit Creme cookies from Peak Frean, minus the cream filling in the middle. Ana and I used mix berry and strawberry jams, but if you have a ton of different types of jam then use 'em for this recipe and you'll end up with a batch of jewelled cookies, which your family and friends will enjoy.

Ana's Thoughts

This week on OSSD we have cookies. Delicious cookies. Melt- in- your- mouth cookies. And not just one kind of cookie, but two. Double yumy-ness! They are both super easy to make and, with the exception of the almonds - which you can ommit - with day-to-day ingredients.

As I said, the process of making these cookies is pretty simple and straight forward. Even if you don't have a mixer, which is our case, you still can make them. And they will taste as good, I can assure you. The Greek almond cookies were my favorites. The icing sugar sprinkled on top melts in your mouth and it gives a hint of sweetness to the cookie; the toasted almonds gave them a crunch-crunch. Hmmmm I could eat them all if I could. hehe

The Jam Drops were very good, too. Not too sweet, very light and smells wonderful before, during and after baking. I didn't taste the jam, though, so it tasted just like a plain shortbread cookie. Ann told me she did, so maybe it's just me. It was good, nonetheless, so try it, you won't regret. ;)

See ya!

Receitas em Português


Biscoitinhos Gregos de Amêndoas
250g de manteiga, em temperatura ambiente
3/4 xíc. de açúcar de confeiteiro
1 colher (chá) de baunilha
2 1/4 xíc. de farinha de trigo
100g de amêndoas tostadas e trituradas
Açúcar de confeiteiro para decorar


Modo de Preparo
Pré-aqueça o forno a 160ºC
Bata a manteiga, o açúcar e a baunilha até ficar cremosa. Nós não usamos a batedeira.
Acrescente a farinha e as amêndoas. Leve à geladeira por 10 minutos, ou até que a massa esteja firme.
Enrole 1 colher (sopa) de massa em formato de meia lua. Asse por 15 min. ou até dourar. Deixe esfriar e espalhe açúcar de confeiteiro por cima. Rende 35.


Biscoitinhos de geléia (Goiabinhas)
180g de manteiga, em temperatura ambiente
1 xíc. de açúcar
1 ovo
2 xíc. de farinha de trigo
1/2 colher (chá) de fermento em pó
geléia ou goiabada para decorar


Modo de Preparo
Pré-aqueça o forno a 180ºC.
Bata a manteiga e o açúcar até formar um creme claro e cremoso. Adicione o ovo e bata bem.
Acrescente a farinha e o fermento e bata até obter uma massa.
Enrole 2 colheres (chá) de massa para formar bolinhas e coloque na assadeira. Achate um pouco com a palma da mão e faça um buraquinho com o dedo. Encha com geléia ou goiabada.
Asse por 10 minutos ou até que esteja dourado. Acrescente mais geléia se necessário, após retirar do forno. Rende 60 biscoitinhos.