Day 6: Merry Fruit Cookies

Tim Jackson, who works in technical services at our library headquarters, baked these cookies. They are going to be at the Annapolis Royal Library in case you want to sample them!

 

MERRY FRUIT COOKIES

from the book Company’s Coming. Family Favorites for the Holidays:

These yummy, attractive cookies make an ideal cookie exchange contribution.

Glazed cherries, quartered          2 cups – 500ml

Dark raisins                                      1 ½ cups – 375 ml

Red pineapple rings, cut up          4

Green pineapple rings, cut up      4

Chopped dates                                 1 cup – 250 ml

All-purpose flour                              ½ cup – 125 ml

Butter or hard margarine,              1 lb. – 454 g

   Softened

Granulated sugar                             2 cups – 450 ml

Large eggs                                          3

Vanilla                                                 1 tsp. – 5 ml

Almond flavoring                             ½ tsp. – 2 ml

Baking powder                                  1 tsp. – 5 ml

Baking soda                                       1 tsp. – 5 ml

Ground cinnamon                            ½ tsp. – 2 ml

All-purpose flour                              4 ½ cups – 1 L

Place first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir to coat fruit with flour.

Cream  butter and sugar well in large bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond flavoring.

Stir baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into second amount of flour in separate bowl. Add fruit mixture. Stir. Add to batter. Stir until it is too difficult to mix. Work with hands until flour is mixed in. shape into 4 or 5 logs about 1 ½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Roll each log in waxed paper. Chill for 1 hour or longer. Cut in ¼ inch (6 mm) slices. Arrange on greased baking sheet ½  inch (12 mm) apart. Bake in 375 F (190 C) oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Makes about  9 dozen cookies.

Cookies from you!

These little guys helped Mom bake Ginger Snaps from the book Rise and Dine Canada by Marcy Claman. Remember, you too can enter to win gift cards! Click HERE to find out how!

Baking together is a great Family Literacy activity that involves both reading and math. Grab a cookbook and join the fun!

Day 5: Tuiles

These cookies are making their way from Annapolis Royal to the Bridgetown Library. They were baked by Dorothy MacDonald, the branch manager in Annapolis Royal. The recipe is from the book Ultimate Chocolate by Patricia Lousada.

Tuiles:

¾ cup Hazelnuts, toasted (toast in 350 oven for 8 minutes then place nuts on a towel and rub gently to remove skins)

1/3 cup Superfine sugar (if you cannot find Superfine sugar, simply spin granulated sugar in food processor until it is fine consistency)

4 tablespoons lightly salted butter

5 teaspoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons rum

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1 - Chop a third of the hazelnuts and set aside. Finely grind the remaining nuts and the sugar together.

2 - Cream the butter then stir in the nut/sugar mixture, cocoa, cream and rum. Add the egg whites, stirring only enough to blend. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in.

3 - Mark four or five circles, 4 ½ inches in diameter, on buttered and floured baking sheets. Put a scant tablespoon of the mixture in the centre of each circle and thinly spread it out with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with a few pieces of the chopped nuts.

4 - Bake each batch separately in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes or until the edges of the tuiles are just beginning to darken.

5 - Remove the tuiles with a narrow spatula and, working quickly, put them over a rolling pin (or in a cup if you want tuile baskets, or around a metal or paper horn. Set the baking sheet in the open oven to keep the tuiles warm and pliable.

6 - Melt the semisweet chocolate and spoon into a paper piping bag. Pipe patterns of chocolate on the cold and crisp tuiles.

In case you, like me, don't know, Filberts are Hazelnuts (but not all Hazelnuts are Filberts!!)

From Dorothy:
Well, these looked so pretty in the book, and I figured you can't go wrong with nuts, chocolate and rum, but mine certainly did not turn out looking like the ones the pros did for the book!! And I didn't end up with 16 usable cookies. Many cracked and fell apart ;( I just hope they taste better than they look!! Oh, and the part about gently rubbing the nuts to remove the skins...that didn't work well at all!!


Merry Christmas to all!!

Day 4: Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Marian Fulton, who works at the Windsor Library, baked some festive biscotti.. Look for them this afternoon at the Hantsport Library. Here's the recipe, from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, along with some notes from Marian.

CRANBERRY-PISTACHIO BISCOTTI
 
Makes about 4 dozen
These red-and-green flecked cookies are particularly festive at Christmas;
Martha likes to bake several batches to give away as gifts.
 
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped 
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with
parchment paper; set aside.  Place cranberries in a small bowl, and add
boiling water.  Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set
aside.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl;
set aside.
 
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat
the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2
minutes.  Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each
addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in
vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined.
 

Mix in the drained cranberries and the pistachios.
 
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half.  Shape each
piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about
3 inches apart.  With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly.
 

Brush beaten egg over the surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle with
sugar.
 
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to the
touch, about 25 minutes.  Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack
to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 300
degrees F.
 
Place logs on a cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, cut the logs
crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.  Place the wire rack
on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Arrange slices, cut sides down, on the
rack.  Bake until firm to touch, about 30 minutes.  Remove pan from oven;
let biscotti cool completely on the rack.  Biscotti can be kept in airtight
container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
 
Marian's notes:
I use sanding sugar for sprinkling my Biscotti rather than regular sugar. 

In my opinion Biscotti keeps well almost indefinitely!  I bake several
different kinds of Biscotti early in December for enjoying all month.
Biscotti, if packed in moisture-proof packaging in a sturdy box, travels
very well. I once sent a large box containing about 10 different kinds to a cousin in
Ontario.  It arrived in great shape and was enjoyed for many weeks.  Sure
it gets a little drier and harder over time but when dunked in a cup of tea
or coffee it is still delicious.

Marian Fulton , Windsor Branch

Day 3: Coconut Bars

Lynn Manning, who works at the Kentville Library, is today's baker. Her cookies are going to be at the Port Williams Library. Her recipe is from the book The Home Baker by Jaqueline Bellefontaine.

Coconut Bars
7/8  Cup butter.
1    Cup brown sugar
2    Tbsp.Corn Syrup
Generous 1 1/2 cups oats
3/4 Cup dry unsweetened coconut
75 gm Candied cherries, chopped

Prehead to 325°F.  Grease a 12" x 9" cookie sheet.

Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan over low head and heat till
melted. Add remaining ingredients.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared cookie sheet and press down with
the back of a spatula to make a smooth surface.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 min.  Cut into
squares using a sharp knife. 

Carefully transfer the pieces of oat cakes to a cooling rack and let cool
completely. 

Store in an airtight container.

Day 2: Lemon Sugar Cookies

Today's cookies are made by Wendy Trimper, the Head of Branch Services. These lovely cookies are making their way up to the Wolfville Library. Here's the recipe, from the book 500 Best Comfort Food Recipes by Johanna Burkhard.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg white, lightly beaten
granulated sugar

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg, egg yolk and lemon zest until incorporated.

In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture until combined.

Divide dough into thirds and shape each into a flattened disc.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  On a lightly floured board, roll each disc to ¼ inch thickness.  Using assorted cutters and re-rolling scraps, cut out shapes; place on well-greased baking sheets. Brush lightly with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake one sheet at a time on middle rack in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until edges are light golden.  Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet; remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Makes about 72 cookies.

Tip:  Cookie dough can be made ahead.  Place in heavy-duty plastic bags and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw in refrigerator.

Day 1: Whipped Shortbread

Welcome to the 12 Days of Cookies! Today is the first day for our 2012 cookie extravaganza, and we bring to you cookies made by Sue & Gail from the Rosa M. Harvey Middleton & Area Library. According to Sue, these are tried and true and will melt in your mouth.Their cookies are making their way to the Berwick Library today, so stop in and have a taste! Don't forget, you can play, too! Click here to see how your cookies could win you a gift card.

The recipe, from Company's Coming: Most Loved Cookies by Jean Pare

Whipped Shortbread

1 cup butter (not margarine), softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

18 Maraschino cherries, halved and blotted dry (optional)

Beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl for about 5 minutes until light and creamy.

Combine flour and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains.

Drop, using 1 Tbsp. for each, about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

If desired, put 1 cherry half in the centre of each cookie. Bake in 375 F oven for about 12 minutes until edges are just golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool. Makes about 3 dozen.