Food

Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies

For the past week or so, I've been watching the two lonely bananas sitting on my counter as their skins slowly got darker and more spotted. I knew I needed to use them soon or they'd wind up in the trash. The simple solution would have been to just eat them as is, but I never have bananas like that - they're always either for smoothies or baking. I was leaning toward baking with them, but as usual was being super indecisive about the recipe. Until I remembered these brown butter banana bread cookies. As desserts go, banana bread really doesn't excite me at all, but for whatever reason (it probably had something to do with the brown butter :)), I could not get these cookies out of my head after I saw them. And luckily, when I checked the recipe, I was pretty sure I had enough bananas. Our neighbors are huge fans of banana bread, and it'd been ages since I'd shared anything I baked with them, so after setting aside one or two for myself, I earmarked the rest of the cookies for them. I just love when I can not only remove the temptation of treats from my house, but make someone else's day brighter with them!



These cookies are moist and fluffy - like little pillows almost - with lots of flavor, especially from the spices. The nuttiness of the brown butter is a background player, you won't necessarily detect it, but you'll know there's something special about these banana cookies. You could absolutely leave the cookies just like that and be perfectly happy. I wanted more brown butter flavor though, so I added brown butter icing to the tops. I've made this icing once before, and it is to die for. Nutty and rich with little flecks of brown butter visible, it takes these cookies to another level. Put a loaf of banana bread in my house and it'll linger for days (weeks, months??), but if I hadn't shared these cookies, they may not have lasted 2 days!

Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies
slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats (who adapted from Simply Recipes)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brown Butter Icing
from Martha Stewart's Cookies

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon half-and-half (or evaporated milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together in a medium bowl. Add the butter to a medium skillet set over medium heat and let it start melting. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter becomes golden brown and smells nutty (be patient and watch carefully, it can go from brown to burnt quickly). Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Allow the butter to cool for a few minutes.

Add the sugar to the mixer bowl and beat on medium for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined. Mix in the egg until completely incorporated. Combine the mashed bananas and baking soda in a medium bowl, then let sit for two minutes. Add the banana mixture and vanilla to the mixer bowl and beat until completely incorporated (your batter will probably look curdled - don't worry, it'll come together when you add the dry ingredients). Add the dry ingredients to the bowl in three additions, mixing just until combined before adding the next batch.

Use a small cookie scoop to drop balls of the dough (about 1 tablespoon each) onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between them. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges, and the centers spring back when lightly pressed. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack.

To make the icing: Add the confectioners' sugar to a large heatproof bowl. Put the butter in a small saucepan, set over medium heat and let it start melting. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter becomes golden brown and smells nutty (be patient and watch carefully, it can go from brown to burnt quickly). Remove it from the heat and pour it over the confectioners' sugar, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as well. Add the half-and-half and vanilla and stir until the icing is smooth. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cookie. (If the icing stiffens before you get them all frosted (it probably will), add a little more half-and-half and stir vigorously to lighten it up.)

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Food

Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies

I've mentioned quite a few times how much I love all things citrus, and it's true, though I've never discussed the one exception. Grapefruit. It all stems from an experience I had as a kid. I slept over a friend's house and the next morning we bounded downstairs for breakfast. Imagine my surprise when breakfast wasn't cereal or waffles, but half a grapefruit. Yikes! It wasn't something I'd ever had before, and though I tried to be polite, I was not a fan - it was simply too bitter for me. I went home hungry, and convinced I would never eat grapefruit again. And I didn't, for over 15 years.



Recently, I decided it was probably time to give it another try. There are tons of other foods I didn't like as a kid that I now eat. Why not grapefruit? I was inspired, in part, by Shawnda whose love of grapefruit is unlike any I've ever seen. She's incorporated it in quite a few recipes - both savory and sweet, but I decided to play it safe and start with cookies. If I didn't like grapefruit with lots of butter and sugar in the mix, I probably wasn't going to like it any other way :)

The grapefruit flavor is infused into both the cookies and the filling in these little sandwiches using the zest and juice of the grapefruit. The recipe called for a Ruby Red grapefruit, but I wound up using a Texas Rio Star, which was a vibrant shade of reddish-pink inside and (according to some articles I've read) among the sweetest types of grapefruit. I halved the recipe in case I didn't like the cookies, but I'm definitely regretting that decision. They were delicious - slightly crumbly and chewy with a sweet pink buttercream in the middle. I may be changing my stance on grapefruit :) I'm already trying to decide what I can make next with the leftover grapefruit half.

Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart and Confections of a Foodie Bride

Cookies
zest of 1 Ruby Red grapefruit
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup freshly squeezed juice Ruby Red grapefruit juice

Filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons Ruby Red grapefruit zest
3 tablespoons Ruby Red grapefruit juice
1 tiny drop red food coloring (optional)

Whisk the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Combine the zest and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the mixing bowl, and cream the butter and sugar mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg yolks, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the juice, and beat until the dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter, dipping in flour, to cut out as many rounds as possible. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them. Reroll the scraps and repeat to get as many rounds as possible.

Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, or until just barely golden around the edges. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then remove them to the rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar and zest on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the juice and food coloring (if using) and beat until smooth and creamy.

Match the cookies in pairs by size. Spread (or pipe, which is my preferred method) 2-3 teaspoons of filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Top each pair with its mate, and gently press to push the filling out to the edges. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

{Day 3} The "After" Treat- Biscotti{Day 3} The "After" Treat- Biscotti

Rosemary Lemon Biscotti served with Homemade Chamomile Cordial

Biscotti is always the "after". Afternoon, after dinner, after a long morning.... This crunchy treat offers a mild sweetness that is just the right kind of soft kiss an after requires.


I try to keep a jar of these around- but they have a great tendency to disappear in short order. Though the baking of biscotti is a two step baking process, the good news is this recipe is so simple that it only takes minutes to pull it all together and create a new batch. Not too long ago, right before a dinner party I decided a gift of wine was just not enough to bring along- so while I showered the first baking was complete, and while make up was applied, the second go round was finished off. I can't say I recommend this method, but it can be done when you need to.

The secret to this recipe is that these are made with Olive Oil rather than butter, which is always on hand and no need to wait for it to soften like butter does.


I created two versions for today. The first is a Lemon Zest and Rosemary, which is really lovely as a digestive. I serve it up with some gorgeous Chamomile Cordial that I made. {The recipe will be in a future post} These two together offer a soft sweet ending to a long meal. No cloying thump to your sensibilities here.

The second version is Dark Chocolate Cherry. Chunks of 72% chocolate are tossed in with plump dried cherries. This is a slightly sweeter version than above and it perfect for that afternoon pick me up. 


When gift giving it's best to package these up into cellophane bags- which you can get from Glerup {see Resource page} The cellophane not only makes a beautiful presentation but also keeps the biscotti crisp and snappy.

Lemon Zest Rosemary Biscotti

makes 24-30 

.5 c mild olive oil

.75c granulated sugar

.25c Light brown sugar

3 large eggs

3.25 c AP flour

1T baking powder

1/4t salt

2T chopped fresh rosemary

zest from one lemon

juice from one lemon

In a large bowl combine sugars, flour, bp, salt, rosemary and zest. Stir to combine

In separate bowl combine eggs, oil and lemon juice- mixing thoroughly

Toss the oil mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine. I use my hands to get the dough even. It will be a little thick and like a soft cookie dough.

Make two long logs about 3" wide on a baking sheet

Bake in a 375˚ oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden and there is only a gentle spring when the tops are touched. If it gives too much the biscotti are not done in the middle and give it another few minutes.

When ready remove the biscotti from the oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. I am always impatient about this but it's really worth the wait, the slices will be neater.

When cool(ish), using a sharp serrated knife cut the biscotti into 1/3" slices and arrange on cookie sheet.

Return to oven and bake 10 mins until golden and toasty looking. Then flip each cookie and bake again for another 10 mins or so.

Dark Chocolate Dried Cherry Biscotti

I used the exact same recipe as above with these changes:

Replace the rosemary, lemon zest and juice with a .5 c of dark chocolate chopped into chunks and .75c of dried cherries

Enjoy!

and remember- the cordial recipe is coming soon- sign up for the mailing list and be sure not to miss it.

{Day 9} Fregolotta: A Dessert That Cracks Up

Crunchy Fergolotta enjoyed with some after dinner port

Fregolotta was a word that had never passed my lips until my lovely Lauren told me about it. It's a lightly sweet, crunchy, nutty, biscuit cookie that is often served at the end of the meal in the Veneto region of Northern Italy.

Now allow me to digress about Lauren for a moment. Beautiful, fair curly haired Lauren has been my business partner at A Simple Cake for the past year and some and one of the best persons to ever happen into my life. She not only is so tremendously talented as a baker and an artist, but she is also an incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out. She and I share a similar passion for food, which has lead to some tremendous discoveries for me- as in the case here.

Lauren described to me this thin crackery treat and it was all new to me. Fregolotta is not just a treat, but an experience as well. It is meant to be broken at the table and eaten. The hard cookie is balanced on a reserved almond, and then with the back of a coffee spoon, tapped until it breaks into bite size pieces. She told me the story that is was her Mother that makes it in their family. 

While traveling through Italy, Betsy Bohl and her husband became enamored with this treat when after each meal it was presented along with the coffee cups. No two restaurants made them the same, which is so typically Italian in my mind. Some more cakey, and some more grainy and powdery. Each baker made it to his or her own taste, following no rules. Betsy returned home and after researching several recipes, changed the balances to get the right texture and taste that suited her. 

Thank you to Betsy for sharing her recipe with me, which I believe is an adaption from Lydia Bastianich. Fregolotta is packed with chopped almonds, but it's the inclusion of corn meal that gives it a unique gritty crunch that is so satisfying.

The recipe called for spring form pans, but I used regular pans and lined the bottom with a paper doily. The cakes slipped out without any resistance. I used 6" pans and the recipe called for 5". Due to the way I divided the dough my cakes were a little on the thick side, so next time I would divide them into thinner batches. To transport and package them I would set them in a box, or place a cardboard round underneath to keep it from breaking. Be sure to include a little note on the cracking and almond technique.

Besty Bohl's Almond Fregolotta

makes 4 5" cakes

1.5c toasted almonds, chopped

.75c sugar

1c flour

.75c corn meal

.25t salt

1.5t vanilla

10T butter, softened

1 egg yolk

2T heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease pans and line with parchment or paper doily.

Combine almonds, flour and cornmeal and salt in a bowl.

In a mixer combine the butter and sugar and beat smooth. Add egg yolk and vanilla and stir.

Add butter mixture to the flour mixture and toss together with a fork to blend. It should be crumbly. Add the heavy cream to make a shortbread like dough.

Divide the dough between the pans and press lightly into an even layer.

Bake for approximately 20 mins and then check for doneness. The cakes should be nicely browned and pull away from the sides of the pan

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Though wonderful just on their own, these are also fantastic served with ice cream or fruits. I can see grappa along side these or a nice demi tasse of espresso.