Cookiepedia (eBook)

MINT THINS Nobody you know will not come by when you say you're baking homemade mint thins. (If they don't so much as ask, consider defriending them immediately.) The question is: Do you want to share? The baking and dunking takes no time (especially if you're tasting as you go), but these bite-size treats do hold up best (and taste yummiest) once the mint chocolate has had ample time to set. If you're protective of your stash, store them in the freezer. They're best with a chill anyway. Preheat oven to 350F Makes: 3 1/2 dozen cookies 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 ounces semisweet chocolate 2/3 cup cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup unsalted butter teaspoon peppermint flavor 1. Cream the butter until it's light and fluffy. add the powdered sugar and continue mixing, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture by halves, beating to incorporate after each addition. 2. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and form it into a disk with your hands. Split the disk in half and place them in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour. Tip: If you're short on time, do 25 minutes in the freezer instead. 3. Working on a floured surface (you'll need a decent amount, since the dough is sticky), roll out the dough to O/8-inch thick. Shape the cookies using a 1.-inch round cutter and place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then let cool completely. 4. Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Add the butter and the peppermint flavor and stir the mixture steadily until it's fully melted and looks glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl and let the chocolate cool slightly. 5. One by one, drop the cookies in the chocolate, then scoop them out with a fork to let the excess drip off. (Tap the cookies against the side of the bowl to help drain the extra chocolate.) Move them carefully to a wire rack or parchment-paperlined baking sheet. When they're all coated, move the sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set. Mint-Thin-Stuffed Cookies Prepare a batch of the mint thins and store them in the freezer. Then prepare a batch of the chocolate chip dough on page 43. When both are chilled, sandwich the mint cookie between 1 tablespoon each of the chocolate chip dough, then press the dough around the mint thin to cover it completely. Bake according to the chocolate chip directions. LEMON CHEWIES With Honey Anything I've ever baked with loads of honey and salt has come out incredible. When I added lemon to the mix, it took this dough to a whole new level. I like these cookies to be just an inch in diameter, since they pack a sweet, lemony punch. Between their teeny size and the back-of-the cheek pucker you get from biting into one, they really make you feel like a kid again. Preheat oven to 350F Makes: 3 dozen cookies 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 egg 1/3 cup honey teaspoon lemon zest 1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set it aside. 2. Cream the butter and sugar until they look light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix to incorporate. 3. In a separate bowl, crack in the egg and add the honey. Stir them together until they're fairly well mixed. Then add it to the butter mixture...