My Big Fat Molasses Buttermilk Cookies!

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Lorinda

You might need to find a locking cookie jar for these flavorful molasses cookies, because even though they are huge, one is not enough; at the very least, you need one for each hand!

These are very similar to the “Grandma Cookies” I adored in my younger days, though Grandma used sour cream instead of buttermilk, and was a little more frugal with the spices. I like to add the brilliant flavor of fresh ginger, too. They’re still milder than a gingersnap – closer to gingerbread. If you love spicy cookies, bump up the amount of spices a bit.

Glaze is mandatory, in case you were wondering.

I know this makes a large batch of dough, but since the cookies are so big, a regular-sized batch would only make something like 8 cookies – or a bunch of wimpy, sissy cookies. Pffft.

Make a pile of these – you won’t be sorry! Here’s what you’ll need:

TIPS:

Peel ginger before grating. The easiest way to do this is to scrape it with a spoon or the back of a table knife. Grate the juicy flesh, but stop when it gets too stringy.
If you don’t have fresh ginger, ground ginger is a perfectly acceptable substitute.
I don’t like to use shortening either, but in this case I make an exception. You can use all butter, but the cookies will flatten out more.
Make sure you thoroughly chill the dough before rolling, and use plenty of flour (I dump flour on a piece of parchment) for rolling.
Hate to roll out dough? You can use a large cookie scoop instead, though the resulting cookies might not be quite as pretty.
When you cut the cookies out, plan your cookie cutter placement with engineering precision – then move the scraps to a separate pile as you work. When the “first run” cookies are cut out, roll all of the scraps at once. Each time you roll out the dough, the cookies will get a little drier…and you don’t want that! (Though extra glaze can hide any flaws.)
If possible, treat the dough like biscuit dough – lift the cookie cutter straight up instead of twisting it. This will make it easier for the cookies to puff up.

My Big, Fat, Molasses Buttermilk Cookies!

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Ingredients

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup shortening
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated (or add 1 teaspoon ground ginger with dry ingredients)
3 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup heavy buttermilk (I use Bulgarian)
4 teaspoons baking soda
7 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon salt
GLAZE:
1½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder (optional - makes a more brittle icing)
Water (3-4 tablespoons)

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and ginger well.
Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl (mixture will expand) combine molasses and buttermilk, mixing until completely blended. Stir in the baking soda.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and spices.
Beginning with the dry ingredients and ending with the wet ingredients, add alternately (approximately ⅓ at a time) to mixture in the bowl, beating and scraping the bowl down after each addition.
Chill dough for at least 3 hours - overnight is even better.
Heat oven to 375 F.
Place half the dough on a very heavily floured surface, turning the dough to coat with flour and forming into a ball.
Roll dough out to about ⅓-inch thick. Cut into circles, using a 3-inch cookie cutter.
With a spatula, lift each round one at a time, placing in the palm of your hand. Lightly flip the cookie from one hand to the other, dusting off extra flour, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be starting to brown on the bottom but will still feel soft on top. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
FOR GLAZE: Place powdered sugar and meringue powder in a small bowl. Drizzle water into dry ingredients a little at a time, whisking continuously until it creates a thin glaze.
Brush over cooled cookies and allow to dry completely before storing.

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Grate some juicy, fresh ginger. (Yes, yes…you can use powdered instead.)

Beat butter, shortening, sugar, ginger. Add eggs and beat until light.

Stir baking soda into molasses and buttermilk. Add alternately with dry ingredients.

Coat chilled dough with flour and roll out to about 1/3-inch.

Flip dough from hand to hand to dust off extra flour.

Bake and glaze.

ENJOY!

I’m not much of a cookie dunker, but I didn’t want to waste the cookies that were being dunked and photographed, so I heroically ate them. Oh, man. I’ve got to tell you: these cookies are flat MADE for dunking!

One bite and I’m back in Grandma’s kitchen, wiping clean dishes and bowls while the cookies baked. Heaven. Pure heaven!

Lorinda

Football Rye Crackers and Cheese Ball

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Lorinda

Bring this dish to any football party and be a hero! A smooth, velvety, football-shaped cheese ball is surrounded by sturdy, homemade rye crackers…also shaped like footballs, because – well – football!

After a couple of attempts that yielded hard, very crunchy crackers, I finally got the knack for these. Add more flavoring if you wish – I kept this pretty basic, preferring to let the flavor of the caraway seeds predominate . These are delicious warm out of the oven…you’ll see!

I tried two different methods for adding the lacing to the crackers. I like the appearance of the little dough laces best, but cutting out all those tiny pieces and pressing them carefully and firmly on each cracker takes a lot of time, so I won’t blame you one little bit if you go the easy route and just press the designs onto the crackers with a table knife – Especially when you consider the crackers will probably be consumed by people jumping and screaming at the TV, and not paying close attention to the detail on each cracker!

This dough is really very easy to roll out, especially if you roll it between sheets of floured parchment. If you want to skip the football shapes, simply use a pizza cutter to cut the crackers into strips and put them, parchment and all, straight onto your baking sheet.

And…in case you’re wondering, they’re delicious with peanut butter slathered on them.

You probably have your own recipe for a cheese ball, right? If not, I’ll tell you how I made mine at the bottom of the post.

Here’s my easy recipe for rye crackers.

Rye Cracker Footballs

Author: The Rowdy Baker

The crackers can also be cut into strips on the parchment, and then lifted (without separating them) parchment and all onto an ungreased baking sheet. Follow instructions for baking.

Ingredients

¼ cup cooking oil
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon molasses
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rye flour
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1 heaping teaspoon caraway seeds (more to taste)
1 tablespoon butter
coarse salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 F.
Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the oil, buttermilk, water, and molasses.
Stir in all-purpose flour, rye flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, garlic salt, onion powder, and caraway seeds. Mixture should be thick, and slightly sticky. If it's very sticky, add a little more flour.
Lightly flour a large piece of parchment.
Place dough on parchment, sprinkle lightly with a little more flour, cover with another piece of parchment, and roll very thin...about the size of a baking sheet. Thin dough makes light, crunchy crackers!
Cut out shapes using a football cookie cutter, and place closely together on the prepared baking sheet. It's best to work with just one pan of crackers at a time, so wrap remaining dough in plastic and place in the refrigerator for now.
There are two ways to create "laces". You can firmly press thin strips of slightly moistened dough onto each cracker, or simple press the lace design into the cracker with a table knife.
Put crackers in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter (if you make "laces" on football shapes, you may have to gently pat the butter on the surface to avoid dislodging the laces) and sprinkle with coarse salt. Turn oven OFF. Open oven door for 30 seconds (count it: one-chimpanzee, two-chimpanzee...), place pan of crackers back in the oven, close the door and leave them alone for one hour. Don't peek - it will let out the residual heat.
Move crackers to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
If you choose to do all of the crackers at once, test a cracker from each pan. If they aren't completely crunchy, return them to the warm oven for 15 more minutes.

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Flatten lightly floured dough and cover with a sheet of parchment.

Roll the dough thinly.

Dough must be VERY thin for light, crisp crackers.

If you lack the patience for gluing tiny laces on each cracker, use a knife and just press in the design!

Baked! Both option for laces are shown here.

Here’s how I made my cheese ball:

24 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 cups of your favorite cheese, grated (I used sharp cheddar and white cheddar.)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup chopped green onions
Optional: a few drops of hickory smoke flavoring, garlic powder, hot sauce.
1 cup finely chopped TOASTED pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped crisp-cooked bacon

Mix together the cheeses and Worcestershire sauce until well blended. I like to use my stand mixer with the dough hook.
Add green onions and additional seasoning, if desired.
TASTE! Between the Worcestershire sauce and the cheese, you probably don’t need to add salt, but now is the time to give it a flavor test.
With damp hands, press the cheese mixture into the shape of a football.
Combine the pecans and bacon. Press onto cheese ball, covering completely.
Transfer to a platter and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve – then surround with lovely rye crackers!

Since I have you here, and you’re actually reading this, may I just say:

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

Lorinda

Maple Streusel Rollups

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Lorinda

I guess it’s time to admit it: I think I need an intervention. This maple addiction has gotten completely out of control. I’ve replaced a lot of my processed sugar with maple sugar, and have developed a love affair (in moderation, of course) with maple whiskey. Pure maple syrup is my go-to sweetener for cereal and tea, though I add a little Mapleine to it for more maple kick. Yep…I have it BAD!

Today I made Maple Streusel Rollups, which my husband said were “the best thing I’ve made in a long time”. There you have it, folks. You just have to make these!

I started with the recipe that I use for Maple Bars and Cinnamon Rolls, but made it a wee bit richer with the addition of butter and buttermilk, and sprinkled maple sugar on the dough before rolling. Then I covered the raised rolls with streusel and drizzled the baked rolls with rich maple icing.

Do I have your attention yet? If not, just look at THIS!

Light, fluffy, sweet and mapley (I’m pretty sure that’s a real word), and topped with a crunch pecan streusel, drizzled with a serious maple icing.

Oh.My.Word.

Here you go:

Maple Streusel Rollups

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes 24 rolls.

Ingredients

¾ cup milk (I use whole milk)
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup buttermilk
⅓ cup very warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
2 eggs
⅓ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
5½ cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
½ cup very soft butter (almost melted)
½ cup maple sugar (or ½ cup white sugar plus ½ teaspoon maple extract)
½ cup brown sugar
STREUSEL TOPPING:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
4 tablespoons melted butter
⅓ cup finely chopped pecans (I toast mine first, but you don't have to)
ICING:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons maple extract (I use Mapleine)
1 tablespoon milk (more if necessary)

Instructions

In a small pan on medium low heat, combine the milk, shortening, butter and cinnamon. Heat until shortening and butter are melted. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk. Set aside.
In a small bowl or ramekin, combine the warm water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Allow the mixture to sit until bubbly (about 5 minutes).
In a large bowl, preferably using a stand mixer, combine the milk mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and ⅓ cup sugar. If using a stand mixer, switch to a dough hook.
Slowly add flour and salt and knead by beating on low for 5 minutes. Dough should come cleanly away from sides of bowl, but still be slightly sticky. (If kneading by hand, knead for 7 minutes on floured surface.)
Place dough in greased bowl and allow to rise until double - about 1 hour.
Prepare a large 11x15-inch pan by either lining with parchment or spraying with an oil/flour mixture like Baker's Joy.
Punch down dough and divide in half.
Working with one half at a time, roll out on parchment (or lightly floured surface) to a 15x9-inch rectangle, with the long side facing you.
Spread half of the butter (1/4 cup) on surface of dough and sprinkle with half of the sugar. Roll snugly.
Cut roll into 12 pieces. and place in prepared pan, filling half of the pan. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Cover with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise until almost double.
Heat oven to 400 F.
Combine the streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Taste a spoonful (optional...just thought you might want permission to indulge) and sprinkle over the raised rolls.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the streusel is a browned - then remove from oven and place on rack to cool.
While slightly warm, combine the ingredients for the icing in a small bowl and spoon icing into a piping bag or a plastic zipper bag with one corner snipped off. Drizzle over the top of the streusel.
Serve!

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Add buttermilk to heated mixture.

Yeast mixture should be bubbly.

The dough comes cleanly away from sides of bowl, but is still slightly sticky.

Punch down the dough.

Add maple sweetness and roll!

Slice…

Sprinkle risen rolls with streusel.

Drizzle the baked rolls with icing.

This is where I should tell you I’m through with maple recipes for a while…but I’m not. I have another idea I’ve been playing with – not with great success – but it’s given me an idea. A mapley idea.

Oh, and if maple isn’t your thing, I AM working on a savory, hearty dish for the Super Bowl. Come back – please come back.

Lorinda

Rye Party Bread

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Lorinda

Everything can’t be sweet, right?

When social media bombards me with visions of sugarplums, I start craving something hearty, salty, savory- and rye bread with its pungent little caraway seeds is exactly what I need.

This recipe will make two small-ish round loaves of swirled rye bread, but with just a little extra effort, you can produce beautiful canape bread for a buffet – or just for snacking! (I love, love, love them broiled in the oven until crispy and topped with a little peanut butter.)

Serve on a platter with bowls of your favorite spreads. Salmon is wonderful, as is ham, tuna, or chicken salad.

I use a very strange ingredient in mine to get a little darker color for the contrast dough: Kitchen Bouquet (yes, that stuff our mothers darkened gravy with), which looks like it would be beef flavored, but is not. If you taste a tiny bit, it’s actually mild and fairly sweet. This is completely optional, of course.

I tried kneading the cocoa and Kitchen Bouquet in by hand. I recommend a mixer!

Note: I recently read an article claiming active dry yeast no longer needs to be softened in liquid, and was skeptical, but after experimenting, I totally agree. You’ll see that I skipped that procedure in this recipe. Rye bread is slower to rise, and won’t rise as high as regular bread, but it rose just as expected – with one less step.

Rye Party Bread

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes enough dough for 3 canape pans, or two small round loaves.

Ingredients

1 cup strong, hot coffee
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons molasses
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups rye flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups bread flour
1½ teaspoons caraway seeds
1 tablespoon cocoa (regular or special dark)
½ teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet (or substitute coffee or water)

Instructions

In large bowl (stand mixer works best) combine hot coffee, oil, molasses, and buttermilk.
Add rye flour and yeast. Mix until combined.
Add salt, bread flour (begin with 1¾ cups) and caraway seeds. Using a dough hook, knead for approximately 5 minutes (7 minutes by hand). Dough should come cleanly away from the side of the bowl. If it doesn't, or is very sticky (slightly sticky is expected), add additional bread flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is the correct consistency.
Remove half of the dough and place it into a greased bowl.
To the remaining half, add cocoa and Kitchen Bouquet (or other liquid). Continue to knead until incorporated. Don't worry if the color isn't completely blended - a little marbling is fine.
Place the darker dough in the same bowl with the lighter dough. Cover and let rise until almost doubled - at least one hour.
Spray the inside of three canape pans thoroughly with an oil/flour spray (like Baker's Joy) and cover one end of each pan tightly with foil. Set aside.
Divide each color into thirds. (*Instructions for making round loaves are at the end of the recipe.)
Roll all six pieces into 6x8-inch rectangles. They will be thin. For each loaf, place a light piece and a dark piece together with the 6-inch side facing you, and roll up firmly, pinching the edges to seal. Give it a little roll back and forth with your hands to make it about 7-inches long, and slide into prepared canape pan, centering dough as much as possible. Set the pan upright on a baking sheet, with the foil covered end down. (This will ensure equal rising all the way around.) There should be about 1 inch of space at the top of the pan.
Place a towel or plastic wrap over the tops of the canape pans and let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until it has filled out into the shape of the pans.
Heat oven to 375 F.
Lay the canape pans down on the baking sheet (I leave the foil on), place in the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. As soon as you are able to handle the pans, slide the bread out to cool completely. You may need to give it a little shake and prod, but it should come out cleanly.Slice into thin, decorative slices.
*To make round loaves, divide each color of dough into 2 pieces. Flatten each piece to roughly the same shape, stack a dark piece and a light piece, and then fold into a ball, creating a marbled effect, "Scooch" the ball along a flat surface to create a smooth round loaf. Cut a criss-cross on the top and cover. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour or until almost doubled. Bake on lightly greased baking sheet for 25 minutes at 375 F. Brush hot bread lightly with butter for a shiny appearance.

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Bread flour, rye flour, and caraway seeds.

Add rye flour and yeast to liquids.

Knead well! (A stand mixer is recommended.) Dough should come cleanly from sides of bowl.

Dough after one hour. Almost doubled – ready to roll.

Use an oil/flour spray inside the pan.

Roll each piece out to 6×8″

Roll dark and light dough together.

Slide dough into pan.

Risen and ready for the oven.

If you don’t want to fuss with the canape pans, just separate the dough into two pieces of light, and two pieces of dark. Smoosh a dark and light together and form into a ball. Cut the top and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 25 minutes. So simple!

And now…back to my regularly scheduled sweet holiday treats!

Lorinda

Pinecone Rolls

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Lorinda

I just love to play with dough, and today’s creation was a batch of pinecone-shaped dinner rolls – just in time for Thanksgiving! Even with whole wheat flour in the recipe, the addition of buttermilk makes them very light and tender, and the molasses adds a hint of sweetness.

They take a little longer than most rolls because you have to cut the petals (that sounds better than “scales”, right?) before baking. Make them ahead and freeze them, and then just reheat them in foil before serving dinner…OR, if there’s some family member who drives you nuts trying to help in the kitchen, hand them the scissors and bowl of dough. Evil but effective.

Seriously, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to whip the rolls out pretty quickly.

The easiest and fastest way I’ve found to make the cone shapes is to form the dough into balls first. I pull the sides up to the top several times (looks a little bit like a Chinese dumpling), flip it over, and then “scooch” it along the counter to create a smooth ball, then press and roll on one side to make a pointy cone shape.

Bring the edges up, then flip and “scooch” it on a hard surface to form a ball.

An inexpensive pair of cuticle scissors resides in my cake decorating tub for just this type of situation, and was perfect for the task. Start snipping at the base of the cone with wide cuts, and then make shorter, deeper cuts as you get to the pointed end.

;. Cut increasingly smaller “petals”

Start with wide, flat snips…

…and end with small snips.

You’ll figure out what works best for you. I preferred cutting while the roll was flat, but you might want to hold it by the end and cut in the air.

The recipe makes 24 rolls. I will warn you, though – they can be a little…er…pokey when you’re eating them. Think of it as a way of making people slow down and enjoy their food. It didn’t stop the guys around here from eating a half-dozen each, that’s for sure!

Pinecone Rolls

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes 24 rolls

Ingredients

1½ cups very warm water
2 packets of active-dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup butter
½ cup molasses
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups white bread flour
2½ -3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon salt
Melted butter (optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl (preferably using a stand mixer) combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until it bubbles. (If it doesn't bubble, check the expiration date on your yeast and try again!)
In the microwave or in a pan on low heat, combine the butter and molasses together. Heat until butter is completely melted. Remove from heat.
Beat the buttermilk and egg together, and add to the molasses mixture. Stir until well combined.
With mixer on low (I start right out with my dough hook), slowly add the warm mixture to the yeast mixture.
When combined, add the cocoa and bread flour. Beat on medium low for 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of the whole wheat flour and the salt, beating until the flour is incorporated. Gradually add as much of the remaining flour as needed to create a dough that is still a little sticky, but comes cleanly off the sides of the bowl.
Knead by machine for 5 minutes, or 7 minutes by hand.
Place dough in greased bowl and cover with a cloth. Allow to rise until double, about 1 hour.
Separate dough into 24 equal pieces, approximately 2-1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a ball and then roll one end with your fingers to make a cone shape.
With small sharp scissors, beginning at the base of the cone, snip "petals". You don't need to go all the way around...just the top that will show when the pinecone is laying on its side. Make larger snips around the bottom, smaller near the top, staggering the petals like bricks.
HEAT OVEN TO 375 F.
Place 12 on each cookie sheet and allow the cones to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake for approximately 13-15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Set baking sheets on racks to cool for a few minutes before serving. Brush warm rolls with melted butter if desired.

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From my family to yours, best wishes for a warm and love-filled Thanksgiving!

Lorinda

“Pecan Pie” Shortbread Cookies

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Lorinda

See these sweet little pecan pie slices? They’re actually shortbread cookies, but they pack a lot of pecan pie flavor into a two-bite treat!

The “crust” is regular shortbread. The “filling” is enhanced with toasted pecans, brown sugar, and molasses. For a cute touch, a little white chocolate is added to resemble whipped cream. These are incredibly addictive! The recipe makes 48 small cookies, but you may want to double it and freeze some for later.

Don’t forget to toast the pecans before you add them. It’s easy – just toss them in a skillet on medium low for about 5 minutes, stirring often, or microwave them, for 90 seconds on high, stirring every 30 seconds. It makes a huge flavor difference – it really does!

"Pecan Pie" Shortbread Cookies

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes 48 petite cookies. If you have time, double the recipe; they'll go fast!

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1½ cups chopped TOASTED pecans, divided
1 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon molasses
White chocolate (optional for decoration)

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well, scraping sides of bowl.
Add the 2 cups of flour and the cornstarch, and mix until completely incorporated. (This will be a stiff dough. You may need to use a dough hook or your hands.)
Separate the dough in half. Remove ½ cup of dough from ONE half and add it to the other. Set aside and cover the large piece of dough, and put the smaller piece back into the mixing bowl.
To the dough in the mixing bowl, add 1 cup of the chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon flour, brown sugar, and molasses. Mix well.
Roll the vanilla dough out between two large pieces of parchment paper, about ⅛-inch thick.and cut out 6 large circles – about 4-1/2 inches across – using a small bowl, sour cream container, or margarita glass! (Alternatively, you can divide dough into 6 balls and roll each individually between parchment.) Place them on a plate and keep them covered with plastic wrap. It’s fine to re-roll the dough as long as you’re rolling it between sheets of parchment.
Divide the pecan dough into 6 balls, and flatten into approximately 3-inch circles.
Working with one piece of each color at a time (keep the rest covered so it won’t dry out) center the pecan circle over the vanilla circle. There should be about ½-inch of vanilla showing around the pecan filling. Slowly bring the vanilla dough up the sides. A knife or spatula works very well for this. Don’t worry if it cracks around the bottom edge. This isn’t pie crust! Use your fingers to press and mold the dough (think Play Doh) until it’s fairly straight and even all the way around the top, Use your fingers to press firmly down on the "filling" while you bring the dough around it. The vanilla dough should stick up a little higher than the pecan dough.
Crimp the dough all the way around, using the tips of your fingers. Don’t be afraid to press firmly along the sides as you go – this will keep the fluted edge from falling off as it bakes.
Sprinkle each "pie" with the remaining chopped pecans.
With a sharp knife, cut pie into 8 small wedges. Move to an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced at least ½-inch apart. Repeat until the baking sheet is full. The cookies can be quite close together; they don’t spread.
Place pan in the freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are just turning light golden brown. Move to a rack to cool.
Once cool, add a dollop of melted white chocolate to the top if desired.

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It will look crumbly and seem dry, but if you keep mixing it will turn into this!

At first the mixture will look crumbly and seem dry, but if you keep mixing it will turn into this!

“Crust” on the left, “Filling” on the right.

Use a knife or spatula to lift the vanilla dough around the filling.

Crimp the edges. (My pinky finger was just the right size.)

Press chopped pecans firmly on top.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Place on baking sheet and pop them in the oven!

I also tried this idea with other pie flavors. I tried to put them all into one blog, but the recipes differed just enough to make that impossible. So…here’s the link for “Chocolate Pie” Shortbread cookies. and “Pumpkin Pie” Shortbread cookies.

Betcha can’t eat just one…

Lorinda

“Pumpkin Pie” Shortbread Cookies

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Lorinda

Tender shortbread cookies, made to look like tiny slices of pumpkin pie, make a perfect hostess gift for Thanksgiving – or just a fun treat to nibble on!

I’ve been obsessed with pie-cookies lately, and finally narrowed down my posts to three seasonal flavors: “Pecan Pie” Shortbread cookies. and “Chocolate Pie” Shortbread cookies., and these pretty Pumpkin Pie Shortbread Cookies. Make all three for a beautiful Thanksgiving display, and freeze any leftovers.

"Pumpkin Pie" Shortbread Cookies

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes 48 petite cookies. If you have time, double the recipe; they'll go fast!

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon salt
2½ cups flour - DIVIDED
½ cup cornstarch
⅓ cup solid pack pumpkin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
White chocolate for decorating, if desired

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well, scraping sides of bowl.
Add 2 cups flour (reserve remaining ½ cup for the "filling"), and cornstarch, and mix until completely incorporated.
Remove half of the dough and place it in a small bowl.
To the dough in the large bowl, add pumpkin, brown sugar, ½ cup flour, and spices Mix well.
Roll the vanilla dough out between two large pieces of parchment paper, about ⅛-inch thick, and cut out 6 large circles – about 4-1/2 inches across – using a small bowl, sour cream container, or margarita glass! Place them on a plate and keep them covered with plastic wrap. It’s fine to re-roll the dough as long as you’re rolling it between sheets of parchment. (Alternatively, you can separate the dough into 6 equal balls and roll them out separately between parchment. Any scraps left over are handy for patching up thin spots while shaping pies.)
Separate the pumpkin dough into 6 portions and roll them into balls, then flatten until they're approximately 3" circles.
Working with one piece of each color at a time (keep the rest covered so it won’t dry out) center the pumpkin circle over the white circle. There should be at least ½-inch of white dough showing around the pumpkin. Slowly bring the white dough up the sides. A knife or spatula works very well for this. Don’t worry if it cracks around the bottom edge. This isn’t pie crust! Use your fingers to press and mold the dough (think Play Doh) until it’s fairly straight and even all the way around the top, Press firmly down on the "filling" while you bring the dough around it. The white dough should stick up a little higher than the pumpkin dough.
Crimp the dough all the way around, using the tips of your fingers. Don’t be afraid to press firmly along the sides as you go – this will keep the fluted edge from falling off as it bakes.
With a sharp knife, cut pie into 8 small wedges. Move to an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced at least ½-inch apart. Repeat until the baking sheet is full. The cookies can be quite close together; they don’t spread.
Place baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are just turning light golden brown. Move to a rack to cool.
When all cookies are cool, add a dollop of melted white chocolate to the top.

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It will look dry and crumbly, and you may think it will never come together – but eventually it looks just like this!

Ready to roll!

Roll and cut vanilla dough, OR separate into 6 balls and roll each individually.

Bring the sides up around the pumpkin “filling”

Crimp the edges and cut into 8 slices

Ready to bake!

And that, I believe, is my last pumpkin recipe for the year.

Probably.

We’ll see……….

Lorinda

“Chocolate Pie” Shortbread Cookies

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Lorinda

These sweet little cookies look just like miniature pieces of chocolate cream pie!

I made Chocolate Pie Shortbread Cookies last year for Tampa Cake Girl’s Cookie Exchange, which was a super fun idea, with lots of great recipes.The original batch made 96 cookies, and I have to admit I got a little tired of making them. So…I halved the batch for this post. Feel free to double it up again if you have more perseverance than I.

Half of the dough will remain plain; the other half will be enhanced with chocolate. There is no actual filling – the cookie is just gussied up to look and taste like chocolate pie filling. Pipe a little white chocolate on each piece to resemble whipping cream, and you have a sweet little treat that’s almost too cute to eat. (Holy cow, did I just write a poem?)

They’re petite…perfect two-biters. Dainty enough for a ladies’ luncheon, but my hubby was happy to eat them by the handful – and yes, they are just one-biters as far as he’s concerned. It’s a good thing this recipe makes 4 dozen pieces!

This is very heavy dough, so if you have a stand mixer, I recommend you use it. You may need to use the dough hook when the flour is added.

"Chocolate Pie" Shortbread Cookies

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Make 48 petite cookies. If you have time, double the recipe; they'll go fast!

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon heavy cream
⅛ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
White chocolate and dark chocolate (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well, scraping sides of bowl.
Add flour and cornstarch, and mix until completely incorporated.
Remove half of the dough and place it in a small bowl.
To the dough in the large bowl, add 1 teaspoon cream and the cocoa powder. Mix well. Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
Roll the vanilla dough out between two large pieces of parchment paper, about ⅛-inch thick, and cut out 6 large circles – about 4-1/2 inches across – using a small bowl, sour cream container, or margarita glass! Place them on a plate and keep them covered with plastic wrap. It’s fine to re-roll the dough as long as you’re rolling it between sheets of parchment. (Alternatively, you can separate the dough into 6 equal balls and roll them out separately between parchment.)
Separate the chocolate dough into 6 portions and roll them into balls, then flatten until they're approximately 3" circles.
Working with one piece of each color at a time (keep the rest covered so it won’t dry out) center the chocolate circle over the vanilla circle. There should be at least ½ vanilla dough showing around the chocolate. Slowly bring the vanilla dough up the sides. A knife or spatula works very well for this. Don’t worry if it cracks around the bottom edge; this isn’t pie crust! Use your fingers to press and mold the dough (think Play Doh) until it’s fairly straight and even all the way around the top, Use your fingers to press firmly down on the "filling" while you bring the dough around it. The vanilla dough should stick up a little higher than the chocolate dough.
Crimp the dough all the way around, using the tips of your fingers. Don’t be afraid to press firmly along the sides as you go – this will keep the fluted edge from falling off as it bakes.
With a sharp knife, cut pie into 8 small wedges. Move to an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced at least ½-inch apart. Repeat until the baking sheet is full. The cookies can be quite close together; they don’t spread. Place baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are just turning light golden brown. Move to a rack to cool.
When all cookies are cool, frost the tops with melted chocolate if desired. Refrigerate briefly to set the chocolate. Add a dollop of white chocolate to the top.

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half vanilla, half chocolate

Roll out “crust”. You could also opt to divvy the dough into 6 balls and roll out each piece.

Flatten chocolate ball and place in the center.

Press the sides firmly against the chocolate.

Flute the edges…

Cut into 8 wedges

Place on baking sheet, chill briefly, and bake.

Add a little melted chocolate

A bit of white chocolate and they’re ready to go!

Just for fun, I tried this idea with other pie flavors. I tried to put them all into one blog, but the recipes differed just enough to make that impossible. So…here’s the link for “Pecan Pie” Shortbread cookies. and “Pumpkin Pie” Shortbread cookies.

I may be going a little crazy here, but there may be key lime, lemon meringue, cherry, berry, and peanut butter pie cookies in the future; I’m having too much fun to quit!

Lorinda

Thanksgiving Treasures

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Lorinda

Thanksgiving ideas from The Rowdy Baker

When I was young, the anticipation of Thanksgiving was almost as exciting as that of Christmas. Thanksgiving was the beginning of the holiday season, but more than that, it was all about our family traditions and creating the warm memories that I still cherish today.

In elementary school I loved the songs we’d sing: “We Gather Together”, “Come Ye Thankful People Come”, “Over the River and Through the Woods”, “Now Thank We All Our God”. (We were allowed to sing hymns in public school way back then.) My mother would sometimes make us ~~torture~~ entertain our guests with our wobbly renditions of these songs before dinner.

(Um, yes, I may have “forgotten” to return this book in 6th grade. I believe the statute of limitations applies here!)

We always had company, often foreign exchange students from the nearby college, grandparents, or any strays that my folks could coax into coming. The more the merrier! When we were very young, we’d hear my mom in the kitchen before it was light, preparing for the feast. As we got older, we were right there beside her, chopping celery and onions, and reaching our small hands into the (eeeeuwww) turkey cavity to pull out the neck and giblets that would go into her stuffing and gravy.

Crisp white linens, the good china and crystal (well, except at the “kids’ table”), candles, and the gravy boat were all placed carefully on the table. My father usually carved and served, and the wait was agonizing.

Now it’s my turn. Although I have my own style, I still produce the standard dishes…and then some. Beginning the week before Thanksgiving my kitchen becomes a whirlwind of flour that doesn’t settle until Christmas Eve.

I’ve collected a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes together in one spot, each with a short description, photo, and link. Since this is a baking blog, I’ll leave the green bean casseroles and turkey to someone else and stick with rolls and desserts. Some are easy, some are more challenging. I hope you’ll find that all are festive and delicious.

Acorn Rolls cascade abundantly out of an edible cornucopia. Here’s a centerpiece for your table that won’t drop leaves, get knocked over, or block your view of the person across from you. Make a simple version or turn it into your own personal creative masterpiece.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert (aka: dump cake!) This dessert just may become a new tradition in your home. Warm, creamy, crunchy, and fragrant…this is seriously good. AND it has received more views on my blog than any other recipe. Ding-ding-ding…it’s a winner!

Pumpkin Sandwich Bread makes beautiful dinner rolls, too. The pumpkin flavor is mild, making the rolls perfect for turkey sandwiches the next day.

Humble Pie is a pumpkin pie with pastry depictions of all the things you’re grateful for dancing around the top crust. This takes a bit of time, but you can always narrow it down to a few important choices if you’re short on time.

Triple Trouble Caramel Corn, dumped in a pretty bowl, will keep the hungry hoards from sneaking into the kitchen to swipe olives, dinner rolls, and the bacon from the top of the turkey. (What? You don’t put bacon on top of your turkey? Oooh, you should try it. Just a few pieces draped over the top will baste your bird and add a little extra flavor.) This caramel corn can be made days ahead, which is always nice. It has bacon, maple, and pecans in it – perfect for Fall.

I have lots of cookie recipes that would be perfect for the occasion too, but I think I’ll save those for a separate post.

I guess this should have been named “Thanksgiving Carbs”, huh? Pfffft. Don’t think about that – just enjoy.

Lorinda

Butter Rum Apple Cookies

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Lorinda

Envision a cookie that is as light as a cake and filled with toasted nuts and soft bits of apple, and then imagine the fragrance of butter rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves wafting through your house as you pull them from the oven. This is one of those times when the reality is every bit as good as the fantasy.

My husband is not known for his effusive compliments, so when he told me “I can NOT STOP eating them…they’re that good!”, I knew my recipe was blog-worthy.

There’s no actual rum in these cookies, though if you wanted to add a little pizazz, you could substitute rum for some of the water in the icing. The flavor comes from using hot buttered rum mix in place of the sugar, butter, and spices.

You have a choice here. You can use:

Store bought mix. If you go this route, make sure you buy one that has butter as one of the main ingredients. The brand I bought had sugar as the first ingredient, and butter as the second. It was really delicious…and convenient! OR:
My easy-peasy Hot Buttered Rum Mix.

The benefit of using my recipe for hot butter rum mix? You will still have enough batter left for about 10 mugs of hot buttered rum! That’s a no-brainer, right? Oh, and you’ll save money.

Butter Rum Apple Cookies

Here’s what you’ll need. I love the flavor of the toasted pecans in these cookies, but you can use walnuts if you’d prefer. Either way, toasting them briefly will make a huge difference. I like to cook mine slowly in a skillet on the stove, but the microwave works too. 90 seconds to 2 minutes works well in my microwave (stirring several times) but some people cook them much longer.

It’s a super easy recipe. The hardest thing you’ll have to do is peel, core, and chop the apple!

Butter Rum Apple Cookies

Author: The Rowdy Baker

Makes 30-36 cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup hot buttered rum mix - slightly softened (make sure you use a mix that has butter as a main ingredient)
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream
2 cups chopped apple (peeled and cored)...about 1 large apple or 2 small
1 cup lightly toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
GLAZE (optional)
11/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons meringue powder (Optional - this will just keep the glaze firmer during storage.)
Water

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 F.
Cover baking sheet with parchment (or very lightly grease it).
In a large bowl, beat together the Hot Buttered Rum mix, the egg, and the sour cream until combined.
Add the remaining ingredients all at the same time. Mix until incorporated.
For round cookies, use a cookie scoop. Otherwise, drop by slightly rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookie begins to lightly brown.
Move cookies from baking sheet to cooling rack. Cool before adding glaze.
GLAZE:
Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, meringue powder, if using, and slowly drizzle in enough water (or rum!) to make a fairly thin glaze. Brush or spoon over cool cookies.
Keep loosely covered in a cool location.

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So easy. Once the rum mix, egg, and sour cream are combined, just dump the rest in!

Drop by rounded tablespoons.

Mmmmm…can you smell them?

Spoon it on…

…or brush it on.

Butter Rum Apple Cookies – enjoy!

The cookies are soft and moist, so I’d recommend that you loosely cover them with foil so the glaze doesn’t get sticky. As with any spicy cookie, the flavor improves over the next day or two – if you can protect them from invaders for that long!

Lorinda