Linzer Cookies – delightful delicate treat made with thin and crisp almond cookies sandwiching sweet raspberry jam. Dusted with confectioners sugar, these cookies are as gorgeous as they are delicious. Perfect for the holidays, perfect for special occasions, and when heart-shaped, perfect for Valentine’s Day.
#almondcookies #linzercookies #christmas
Recipe
– Unsalted Butter – 1 1/2 C (340g)
– Sugar – 1 C (200g)
– 1 egg + 1 yolk
– lemon zest – 1 tsp (about 1 lemon’s worth)
– Vanilla – 1/2 tsp
– Ground Almonds – 3 1/3 C (400g – This is a CORRECTION from the video)
— use a food processor
– AP flour – 3 1/3C (420g)
– Baking Powder – 1 tsp
– Cinnamon – 1 tsp
– Ground Almonds – 3 1/3 C (360g)
– plus raspberry jam
– cream the butter and sugar
– add the eggs, vanilla and zest, mix
– mix in the almonds
– stir in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon
– chill the dough for a couple hours or overnight
– roll out the dough
– bake – 350 degree oven, about 10 minutes or until cookies show a hint of browning
– cool and fill, dust with confectioners sugar. Finish with a dollop more of jam
The trick to making these heavenly delicious chocolate lava cakes is to make and freeze chocolate truffles, which will end up being the molten centers.
Truffles
¼ C Cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (coursely chopped)
½ T unsalted butter
1/2 t instant coffee granules (or espresso powder if you can find it)
1 t grated orange zest (optional)
Bring the cream almost to a boil, remove from heat and stir in chocolate, butter and coffee.
Stir until smooth.
Stir in the orange zest.
Put into a metal bowl and place in the freezer for 20 minutes or so. Mixture will be firm when it’s ready to roll the truffles.
You’ll want 1” round balls. You may want to clean your hands every truffle or so since the mixture will melt in warm hands.
With the extra truffles, if desired, roll them in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, coconut, ground nuts.
Place the truffles for the lava cakes in the freezer until they’re needed.
Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
Heat oven to 425, position a rack in the upper third.
1 C sugar
½ C milk
2 t instant coffee granules (or espresso powder if you can find it)
1 T flour
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (coarsely chopped)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate (coarsely chopped)
1 T unsalted butter
4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
6 truffles from recipe above
Using 4 or 5 oz ramekins or glass baking dishes, generously grease them with butter. Coat the butter with sugar, removing extra sugar.
Line the bottom of the ramekin with a round parchment circle. Make sure the circle only covers the bottom and not the sides. Butter the circle if you can.
In a medium, heavy sauce pan, mix and bring the following ingredients to a rolling boil: Sugar, milk, coffee granules.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the chocolates (bittersweet and unsweetened).
When melted, add the butter until melted in.
One by one, stir in the egg yolks, whisking until completely incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, but not dry.
Mix a generous spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, fully incorporating it.
Scrape the chocolate into the egg whites and fold in. Scoop from the bottom, turn the bowl. Do not overmix.
Put the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Insert a truffle into the center, then cover the truffle with a little batter.
Place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes. The tops should be dry to the touch.
Remove from the oven, and loosen the sides with a small spatula or knife. Flip onto an individual serving dish. Remove the parchment.
These will be a little too hot to eat, so let them cool before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, optionally serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Chocolatey rich Whoopie Pies are a pretty simple dessert, perfect for a party! Yummy cakes sandwich a sweet and soft cream cheese icing that wants to ooze with each bite. These throwbacks are filled with either a vanilla or a peppermint buttercream.
These are so good – they taste like a cupcake sandwich!
Recipes
Cakes
2 C AP Flour
1/2 C Cocoa Powder (sifted after measuring)
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Brown Sugar (packed)
1/2 C vegetable oil (canola, soybean, something neutral tasting)
3 Large Eggs
1/2 C Whole Milk
2 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla
Prepare and stir together dry ingredients
Stir milk and vinegar together and let rest for a few minutes
Using a stand mixer, beat together sugars and wet ingredients.
Add dry ingredients and mix for less than a minute until combined
Refrigerate batter to firm it up for 30 to 60 minutes (or longer if desired)
Pipe the batter into 2″ to 3″ circles on to parchment paper (or any size desired – mini 1″ Whoopie Pies are great party bites!)
Bake in 350 oven for about 9 minutes until Whoopie Pies spring back to a light touch
Cool completely
Gently lift cooled tops and bottom from parchment
Icing
5 Tbl Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
4 oz. Cream Cheese (regular, not whipped – room temperature)
3 C Powdered Sugar
1 tsp flavoring – Video shows half vanilla, half peppermint
1 drop green food coloring (optional, if using mint)
1 pinch salt
Throw all ingredients into a mixer unless you will be dividing to make two icings.
Mix well.
Fill piping bags with either a large round tip or an open star tip (makes a nice frill)
Pipe icing on a bottom, then place on a top, press together lightly
We’re having a little fun with this video! Discovered an awesome app for my watch that lets you go back (or REWIND) in time. So cool and practical for anyone in the kitchen. Fix those mistakes or just do a do-over!
These cupcakes use the wonderfully delicious 1-2-3-4 cake recipe. It is a super soft and moist cake, perfect for cupcakes. Pretty much perfect. We also use a truly classic cocoa powder-based chocolate icing. So simple to make, but ideal for a rich chocolatey taste. And finally, we’re relying on the internet sensation Misty’s Buttercream. Misty’s is a general purpose buttercream that is a favorite on cake decorating websites. Super easy to make and IMHO, magical.
Recipes
1-2-3-4 Cake
I only used half of the recipe to make about 18 standard sized cupcakes.
Ingredients (full recipe – divide in half if appropriate)
1 C unsalted, room temp butter
2 C sugar
3 C cake flour
4 large eggs
1 C whole milk
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t vanilla (better vanilla – better cake)
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream the butter and sugar
Mix in the eggs, 1 at a time
Mix in the vanilla
Toss the baking powder with the flour
Mix in half of the milk
Mix in half of the flour/baking powder mixture
Mix in remaining milk
Mix in remaining flour mixture
Bake for about 20 minutes (cupcakes), check for doneness
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes (cakes), check for doneness
Classic Cocoa Buttercream Icing
This will become one of your favorites
Ingredients
1/2 C unsalted butter
2/3 C Cocoa
3 C Powdered Sugar
1/3 C milk
1 t vanilla (better vanilla – better icing)
Steps
Melt the butter (microwave or stovetop)
Stir in the cocoa
Mix in sugar and milk (a hand mixer will work but a stand mixer will make less mess)
Mix in vanilla
Do Not Mix Buttercream on high speed
Thin with more milk, if necessary. Thicken with sifted powdered sugar if necessary.
Misty’s Buttercream
One of my favorite general purpose buttercreams. Magical!
Ingredients
3/4 C unsalted, room temp butter (1 1/2 sticks or 6 oz)
1 1/2 C Crisco or similar (10.1 oz)
pinch of salt
2 lbs powdered sugar
3 oz. heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla (better vanilla – better everything)
Steps
Cream the butter and Crisco, and salt – high speed for as long as you’d like
Add powdered sugar, cream and vanilla – mix thoroughly on low to medium speed. Do Not Mix on high speed.
Thin with more cream, if necessary. Thicken with sifted powdered sugar if necessary.
