Garabaldi Biscuits

We used to call these “fly cookies” as children because of the tiny bits of dried currant scattered throughout. In the past few years, they seemed to have disappeared from U.S. grocery stores so my cravings sparked me to create my own version.  The “biscuits” are English in origin and are perfect with a steaming cup of tea.  They have a glossy crust and are slightly chewier than an average shortbread.  Their mild sweetness is complemented by the earthy tang of the currants.

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a food processor combine flour, sugar, butter and salt.  Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg until a ball forms.
3. Knead in currants by hand.
4. Press into a greased 9 x 12 inch pan.
5. Brush with the remaining egg.
6. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut into squares and break apart when cooled. 

Chewy Sugar Cookies

I like my sugar cookies thin and chewy and tinged with a hint of lemon.  They are rolled in a crust of raw sugar that hits the sugary flavor home.  These are a true classic.

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• Sprinkles or sugar for rolling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients and zest. Add enough of the milk to moisten the dough and make it soft, not wet.
4. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar or sprinkles. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.

Strawberry and Cream Cookies

I buy huge amounts of bulk dried fruit from Costco and dried strawberries are some of my favorites.  These cookies are similar to shortbread in texture and have a dry, buttery crumb with sweet, chewy bites of strawberry and creamy nibbles of white chocolate.  Uniquely scrumptious!

Adapted from Cast Sugar

Ingredients:
3/4 c. sugar
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/4 Tsp. salt
1/2 c. finely chopped white chocolate
3/4 c. dried strawberries, finely chopped

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

1. Finely pulverize the sugar in a food processor, letting the machine run for about 10 seconds. (Skip this step if using superfine sugar.)
2. Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer; beat on low speed for several minutes, until fluffy. Add the flour, vanilla extract, cream and salt; mix well. Stop the motor and stir in the white chocolate and dried strawberries, mixing until evenly distributed. The dough should be firm (if not, add up to 2 tablespoons flour and incorporate well). Transfer to a lightly floured work surface; knead gently for about 1 minute, until it holds together and becomes firmer. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as 12 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Stack 2 baking sheets together and line the top sheet with parchment paper.
4. Gently roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch; use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet; reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on the sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.

Almond Stuffed Sugar Cookies

These cookies are very similar to the classic Italian wedding cookies.  Not too sweet, they are buttery and and crumble to reveal a surprise inside.  The almond and chocolate filling makes for a rich, sophisticated treat.  As they rest, the flavors mature and they are even tastier the day after.

Yield 36 cookies

Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 cup salted butter

• 2 tablepsoons milk

• 1 tablespoon water

Filling:

• 1/2 cup ground almonds

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons mini-chocolate chips

• 1 1/2 teaspoons water

Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Process all filling ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Set aside.
3. Process all of the dough ingredients in a food processor until they form a ball.
4. Roll dough into golf ball sized balls and pinch a hole in the center.  Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of filling.  Gently seal the ball and place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown.  Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe makes thick and hearty cookies that resemble those at the famous Levin Bakery. It’s important to chill the dough once you have shaped the cookies because this helps them keep their shape in the oven. The almond extract gives them a unique richness and enhances the buttery flavor. There’s no messing around with these guys.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars just until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.
3. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes so the dough is firm and cold when you put the cookies in the oven.
5. Put the cookies in a 375 degree oven and set timer for 8 minutes for large cookies, 4 minutes for minis. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes (4-5 for minis) or until cookies appear just set.

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Some people like thick cakey peanut butter cookies, some chunky, but I prefer them thin but soft. I bake these until they are just barley set so they maintain a chewy, buttery center with the crackling sugar coating on the outside. As an extra treat, you can stir in chocolate chips- warm from he oven, the molten chips stud the nutty cookie like little coco jewels.  

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each one is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the peanut butter and beat until just incorporated.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate. Chill 30 minutes.
6. Using a mini ice cream scoop, roll the dough into balls and toss in sugar until coated. Place on the prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, or the flat bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, gently press each cookie down to barely flatten it – it will form a tall disk shape.
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Rich Chocolate Cookies

When it comes to chocolate cookies, these are my favorite. Rich, deep, dark chocolate highlighted by the luxurious chips buried inside that ooze onto your tongue when they’re warm. The cookie itself has a crisp exterior but, if baked properly, a chewy interior. I like to sprinkle a touch of sea salt on top before baking – you’ll be shocked by how much it intensifies the flavor of the chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/2 cup to stir in at the end
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C degrees.
2. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Melt semisweet chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.
4. Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl and mix until combined.
5. Gradually fold in the flour in two batches until just incorporated.
6. Fold in chocolate chips.
7. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
8. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 8-10 minutes (cookies should be soft).

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I admit it, I’m a peanut butter addict. While I prefer a spoonful right out of the jar, cookies are a nice alternative. These are chewy and the Resses nestled in the center melts into a silky chocolate disk that complements the divine sweet & salty bite of the cookie. The sugar coating crystallizes on the outside of the cookie and gives it that mouth-feel I love, each grain of sugar teasing your tongue to come back for more.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough
• 36 mini dark chocolate Resses, chilled and unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
3. Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.
4. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 4 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.