Thin Butter Cookies

These wonderfully thin, tender butter cookies, have a delightful raspberry-lemon glaze

Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups powered sugar

4 sticks unsalted butter

4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 egg yolks

4 teaspoons lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze

4 cups powered sugar

4 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Framboise

Whisk together the salt and flour

In a stand mixer cream together the balance of the ingredients until light, then add the flour.

Remove from mixing bowl, form into a ball, divided into four, shape into balls, cover in plastic wrap and chili for about 2 hours

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line cookie sheets with parchment

On a prepared surface roll out balls, one at a time into sheets about 1/8 inch thick, using cookie cut of choice, cut out cookies and place on cookie sheet.

Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are golden.

While cookies are cooling mixed together glaze.

Spread onto cookies and let set.

Makes about 10 dozen or so cookies, depending on size.

Enjoy Cooking 

Raspberry Nut Blondies

Raspberry Nut Blondies

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups fresh raspberries
1 2/3 cup unbleached flour
I cup chopped nuts, i use a mix of walnuts, pecans and almonds
1 cup raw sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter plus one tablespoon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next add the eggs and vanilla until combined.

In a large bowl whisk together the remaining dry ingredients, reduce speed on mixer and slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixer. Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in 3/4 cups of the nuts.

Line a 8 inch square baking pan with two strips of buttered parchment paper with the paper extending 2 inches up the side of the pan.

Pour batter into pan; next sprinkle the berries and the remaining nuts on top.

Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

These taste great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Enjoy Cooking

Raspberry Nut Pinwheel cookies

Here is a cookie recipe that i created for a contest i entered a few years back. I came in second, again, i was told there where too many steps. It is true it is a 2 day cookie, but it is so worth it. This is going to be on my Thanksgiving menu this year, all my deserts will have a pinwheel theme.

Raspberry Nut Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 jar of raspberry preserves
1 cup of chopped hazelnuts

Directions

In the stand mixer cream together the butter and the sugars. In another bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. After butter mixer is light and creamy, add the eggs, one at a time to the mixture. Reduce the speed on the mixer to a lower speed once the eggs are creamed in and slowly add the flour mixture. Once combined, remove from the bowl, divide into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

Next day roll out the two dough balls into a 10 x 12 inch sheet: note, roll out onto parchment it will make it easier to roll up later. Place dough sheet on cookie sheets and place back into the fridge to re-cool, about an hour.

Remove from fridge and spread each sheet with raspberry preserves and then sprinkle the preserves with the nuts. Roll up the sheets on the long side. Wrap in plastic wrap and place them back into the fridge and again for another hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Remove logs from fridge, remove plastic wrap and cut logs into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown.

Remove bake cookies to cooling rack - and enjoy

Enjoy Cooking

Raspberry Tart

There are oo many things going on at once - but several projects are coming to an end so I will have more time for recipes.

This recipe i came up with a few years back for a dinner party we were having - i wanted to make a tart but i also wanted a pastry to I brought the two together.

Raspberry Tart

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of blanched almonds - ground finely
1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
1 stick plus 2 table spoons unsalted butter room temp
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 lb fresh raspberries
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon tumeric

Directions

After to have ground the almonds in the food processor add the butter, flour, sugar, egg, tumeric and cinnamon pulse until combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease a 8 inch tart pan, then press half of the almond mixture on the bottom of the pan. Next in a single layer arrange the raspberries. Now sprinkle the remaining almond mixture on top and pat with a fork to set.

Bake for about 40 or until golden brown. The tart should feel firm to the touch. Let cool and serve with whip cream or vanilla ice cream or both.

Enjoy Cooking

Very Berry Dessert

Very Berry Dessert

Ingredients

4 pints of fresh blue berries
2 pints of raspberries
2 pints of black berries
4 packages of Italian Lady Fingers
2 8oz packages Mascarpone cheese
1 cup raw sugar or 3/4 cup raw honey
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup raw powdered sugar or honey powder
1 lemon, juiced and zest
1 teaspoon Real Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

In a large sauce pan add blue berries, raw sugar or Honey and lemon juice and zest and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat a simmer for 5 minutes. Next add the raspberries and black berries and stir to warm about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In the stand mixer, with the whisk unit attachment, place the Mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar or Powdered Honey and mix to blend. With the mixer on low add the heavy cream, cinnamon and vanilla and blend until smooth. Note: if using the powdered honey you may need to have it run a spin in the spice grinder in order to the powder it bit finer.

You will need a large casserole, i use a 16 inch by 9 1/2 inch by 3 inch deep oval casserole for this dish. Place a single layer of lady fingers on the bottom of the casserole, next spoon berry sauce over lady fingers. Add another layer of lady fingers and sauce and then on more layer with sauce. Next cover the top with the mascarpone mixture, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. I decorate the top with some whole berries and serve.

Enjoy Cooking

Dark Chocolate Raspberry pots de creme

Well i am back from my trade show and planning our Thanksgiving Meal and I though this recipe is always a good one around the holidays. I know below I do not use my standard Green & Blacks chocolate but they do not make a 100% bar, at least I can not find one.


Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pots de Creme

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream (you can use half and half to save some calories but what is the point)
1 teaspoon of orange water
1 teaspoon of orange zest
6 egg yokes
1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 & 1/2 bars 4oz bar of 100% chocolate, Ghiradelli
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 10oz package of frozen raspberries defrosted and mashed
(you will need 1 1/2 cups if you use fresh, you will still need to mash them up)
1 table spoon of flour
4 table spoons of warm milk

Topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon of orange extract


Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Place heavy cream, orange water, orange zest and the vanilla bean and the seeds into a medium sauce pan. Heat over med to low heat for about 4 to 6 minutes, you want the cream very warm but not boiling, you want to infuse the favors into the cream. After the cream is warm reduce the heat to very low and remove the vanilla bean.
In a medium bowl wish together the egg yokes, sugar and salt. Set aside
Over a double boiler melt chocolate, melt do not boil the chocolate.
Mix flour and milk together so that there are no lumps.
Once chocolate is complete melted stir in milk and flour mixture until completely blended.
Now blend the chocolate into the cream mixture until very smooth and creamy.
Next whisk in by hand, slowly, the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Do this very slowly and whisk quickly so that the egg/sugar mixture does not scramble.
Once complete blended now add the mashed raspberries.
Now ladle the mixture into ramekins, i use a 5oz one and this will fill about 8 of them.
Place filled ramekins into high sided baking pan, next fill the pan with water so that it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes until custard is set.
Remove pan from oven and allow the ramekins to cool while still in the water about 1 hour.
Remove the ramekins from the water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I usually make this the night before.

Topping -
place a ingredients into a medium bowl and blend on high speed into firm. You could add a 1/4 cup of powder sugar to the cream, but i like it with out the sugar, i like the freshness of the cream against the sweetness of the pots de creme

Enjoy Cooking

Chocolate Raspberry Mac and Cheese

Ok i know this sound weird but I got second place in a cooking contest with the recipe.

Chocolate Raspberry Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 cups of fresh raspberries
2 1lb bags of dark chocolate chips
8 egg yolks at room temp
2 cups of raw sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 lb box dries pasta
2 8 oz packages of mascarpone cheese
3 8oz packages of cream cheese
1 lb brie, diced
1/2 lb of mozzarella cheese, diced
3 table spoons unbleached flour
2 table spoons of orange zest
2 table spoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cook the pasta as directed on the package but instead of adding salt to the water add 1 cup of sugar. Drain, and set pasta aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a bowl whisk together the cream and egg yolks.

In another bowl whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.

Next over a double boiler slowly heat cream egg mixture. whisking as you heat the mixture, once it is at a simmering stage, add the remaining cup of sugar. Once sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the flour/cocoa mixture: i sprinkle a bit at a time in so it does not lump up. Once the mixture starts to thicken add 1 1/2 lbs of the chocolate chips to the mixture. Keep whisking until almost all the chips have melted. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, vanilla extract, orange zest, salt and set aside.

In the food processor add mascarpone and cream cheese,, pulse to combine. Next add about two cups of the chocolate cream mixture and pulse to combine.

Now its time to start the layering process. In a large deep dish backing pan spoon in some of the chocolate cream mixture, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Next add a layer of pasta, about an inch. Next layer is the cheese chocolate mixture, some of the diced cheese, chocolate chips and raspberries. Now repeat the layers: Chocolate cream, pasta, chocolate cheese, diced cheese, chocolate chips and raspberries until all the ingredients have been used. Note do not have raspberries on the top layer just the chocolate chips, some of diced cheese and chocolate cream mixture.

Cover with foil and back for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove once the pasta and or cheese starts to turn golden brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. serve with a scoop of ice cream and additional raspberries. The mac and cheese is best warm, it's just OK cold.