thecookieblogger.com

yes, it’s true i’m continuing my mission to recreate conti’s sprinkle cookies. but this time, i am close. very, very close! i found a ‘jumping-off point’ recipe online and then played around with the amounts, with the ingredients and with the baking time. so, of course, now it’s a completely different recipe than what i started with! but i love to experiment, and i love to play around with ingredients, so it’s all good!

you’ll notice this recipe is different than others here on thecookieblogger.com, because the original recipe called for grams instead of cups, and so, using my handy escali scale from king arthur flour, i continued measuring in grams. it is one of the handiest tools i have in my kitchen — i use it much more often than i originally expected, so it’s been a good investment for me!

i’d be remiss if i failed to mention another tool i used for these cookies — my wilton cookie pro ultra ii cookie press. i find this cookie press easy to use, easy to clean and i love that it comes with 16 different discs! i have had bad luck with other cookie presses in the past, but this one really holds up to lots of use, and it’s comfortable for my carpal tunnel wrists.

i’ll be curious to hear what you think of this recipe. the cookies are very reminiscent of those cookies found in italian bakeries or in the greek diners in new york. but, no fear, my hunt for the perfect recipe is not quite over. i will rework this one just a bit to add some more flavor and increase the thickness of the cookies to make it perfectly authentic!

chocolate sprinkle cookies v.3
ingredients:
165 g unsalted butter
90 g confectioner’s sugar
2 egg yolks
165 g all-purpose flour
100 g cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. in mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until they are well-combined, light and fluffy.
3. add the egg yolks, sift in the flour and cornstarch, vanilla and almond extracts. mix just until well-blended.
4. using cookie press, place cookie dough on prepared sheets.
5. bake for 12-14 minutes until edge begin to lightly brown.
6. remove from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
7. dip edges in melted chocolate, and dip in chocolate sprinkles.
enjoy!
yield: approximately 30 cookies

you may be wondering why your cookieblogger is talking pizzelles today, deep in the midst of summer. yes, i admit they are front and center on most christmas tables, due to their snowflake-like appearance, but, dear friend, pizzelles are even more at home in the heat of summer! what cookie is light and refreshing with a bowl of fruit or ice cream — yet with one quick ‘flick of the wrist’ can turn from cookie into delectable ice cream cone?! and pizzelles are loved by adults and kids alike, so they’re great for a light dessert cookie on your bbq table!

one of the comments i often hear regarding pizzelles is that the traditional anise flavoring is not everyone’s favorite taste. it’s understandable that anise can be an acquired taste, and may be a bit too intense, especially for children who have not grown up with it. but that’s one of the joys of baking pizzelles — you can choose whichever flavor you prefer, and, as you’ll see in this recipe, an excellent pure vanilla extract works very well to make a pizzelle that’s both flavorful and cookie-eater-friendly!

remember you need to have a pizzelle iron to make these cookies. i use the villaware v3600-ns prego nonstick pizzelle baker and have been using one for years. this machine makes thin and crispy cookies, is quite easy to work with, and is virtually indestructible!

lastly, many bakers shy away from these cookies, assuming they are difficult to make! nothing could be farther from the truth! the batter is very easy to make, the pizzelle baker is easy to use, and these cookies are quick and easy to create! give them a try and let me know what you think!

vanilla pizzelles
ingredients:
6 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups baker’s sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
4 teaspoons baking powder

instructions:
1. melt butter (microwave works fine for this!) and let cool.
2. preheat pizzelle maker according to machine instructions.
3. mix eggs and sugar until well-blended.
4. add cooled butter and vanilla extract.
5. sift flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients until well-combined and smooth. dough will be a bit sticky.
6. drop by teaspoonful (i use a #100 zeroll scoop) in the center of each wafer spot on the pizzelle maker.
7. check for desired ‘color’ (this may be as quick as 1 minute) and lift out with a fork to a wire rack for complete cooling.
8. when all pizzelles are completely cool, sift some confectioner’s sugar on each cookie. store in covered container. they will stay fresh for at least one week, though they usually don’t last that long!
enjoy!
yield: approximately 50-55 cookies

alright, so this isn’t a cookie. but it is a ‘you can’t just eat one’ snack – and it’s chock-full of chocolate chips – and bananas! and since i made some for today’s snack, i thought you wouldn’t mind if i shared this recipe as today’s ‘cookie’…so, for today, the banana chocolate chip mini muffin has been named ‘honorary cookie’.

these are ultra-simple to make, and they will fly off your countertop before you can wash the mini muffin pans. they are quite moist, they keep well for up to 3 days, and are favorites amongst kids and adults alike. if you’d like to make them even tastier, feel free to add 1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts to the batter. i tend to keep them nut-free for my nut allergy friends, but they are good with or without nuts!

i received this recipe for the full-sized muffins from a friend a number of years ago… since then, i have tinkered with the recipe to make them bite-sized, and often serve them as a breakfast snack to the load-out crew at the rep. tomorrow, however, they will make their ‘opera debut’ when they ‘go to work’ with hubby!

banana chocolate chip mini muffins

ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 medium bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line mini muffin tins with mini muffin cups.
2. in a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, oil, brown sugar and vanilla until well blended.
3. add mashed bananas to wet ingredients and mix well.
4. add remaining dry ingredients (except mini chocolate chips) and mix just until combined (do not overmix.)
5. fold in the mini chocolate chips
6. with #100 scoop, fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
7. bake for approximately17-18 minutes, until muffins look firm and tops begin to lightly brown.
8. remove from oven, and gently remove muffins from pan onto wire rack to cool completely.
enjoy!
yield: approximately 70

living in seattle, it’s not surprising i’m surrounded by coffee. every street in my neighborhood boasts at least one coffee shop, though quite a few streets are home to two or three shops! it’s not uncommon to see locals holding their reusable stainless coffee mugs while they cross the street or sipping their java while they wait for the city bus. i admit i do enjoy a good cup of coffee, but as odd as it may sound, my favorite cup of coffee hails not from seattle, but rather from 3000 miles away — a fair trade company located in vermont called green mountain coffee roasters. i love their decaf breakfast blend and highly recommend it!

i also love a good cup of espresso, and especially love including espresso in baked goods, adding a deep, rich flavor reminiscent of a good morning shot! king arthur flour offers an espresso powder which works beautifully in baked goods. these cookies, combining the two popular flavors of espresso and chocolate, are a delicious ‘pick-me-up’ for a mid-afternoon snack! happy munching!

espresso crescents
ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup of sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vietnamese cinnamon
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (melted to drizzle atop cooled cookies)

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. in your mixer bowl, add all ingredients. with your mixer on the lowest speed, mix ingredients until they come together to form a stable dough.
3. scoop about 1 tablespoon worth of dough, rolling into a log approximately 2 1/2 inches long, and shape into a crescent. place on prepared baking sheet.
4. bake for 15-16 minutes until cookies are set and firm, and the bottom is beginning to lightly brown.
5. remove from oven and immediately remove from baking sheet to wire rack to cool.
6. once completely cool, drizzle some of the melted chocolate atop the cookies. allow drizzle to completely dry before stacking!
enjoy!
yield: 30-34 cookies

warm summer days beg for refreshing tall glasses of iced tea. a perfect accompaniment to that cool drink are these light and tasty cookies. the hint of lemon comes from the frozen lemonade in the batter, and these cookies are truly ‘light as feathers’, so you can munch on one or two and not feel heavy or full. they are quick and easy to make and bake, and the recipe can easily be halved so you don’t need to have your oven on all day! Since they only bake for 8-9 minutes, you can whip up a batch or two in less than one half hour! let me know what you think!

lightly lemony sugar cookies
ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baker’s sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 can frozen lemonade, thawed (6-8 oz. can)
colored sugar for decorating

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. sift flour, sugar and baking soda into a large bowl. set aside.
3. cream the butter in you mixer bowl. once the butter is light and fluffy, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well until incorporated.
4. in three separate steps, add the thawed lemonade, and 1/3 of the dry ingredients mixture, blending well after each addition, until all lemonade and dry ingredients have been added to your batter. (note: it will be a soft batter.)
5. using your #40 scoop, drop approximately 2 slight teaspoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet. sprinkle a generous amount of colored sugar onto the top of each cookie drop (i use yellow or pale green sugar for these cookies.)
6. bake for 8-9 minutes until cookies are set and starting to brown slightly.
7. remove from oven, and with spatula, remove immediately to wire rack to cool completely.
enjoy!
yield: approximately 45 cookies.

cream cheese is a perfect way to add a bit more flavor and a lot more tenderness to your cookie crumb! these are quick and easy to make, and they are delicious! you can feel free to swap out the pecans on top for another type of nut, such as walnuts, or a few chocolate chips scattered on top and pressed into the top of the dough! whatever the topping, i hope you will enjoy these delectable treats!

pecan-topped cream cheese puffs
ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (do not use low fat or fat free cream cheese)
1 cup baker’s sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pecans (to press into dough)

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. mix butter, cream cheese and baker’s sugar until light and fluffy.
3. beat in egg yolk and vanilla until completely mixed into butter mixture.
4. with mixer on lowest speed, add flour gradually. mix well.
5. refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, but not longer than 3 hours.
6. roll into 1 inch balls, and place on baking sheet. press pecan into center of dough ball.
7. bake for 15-17 minutes. remove from oven and baking sheet, and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
enjoy!
yield:approximately 34 cookies

the quest continues!! for those of you new to thecookieblogger site, you may not realize that i am in the process of what i have termed ‘the impossible cookie quest’.  more difficult than chasing windmills and possibly even more difficult than landing on the moon, this quest to recreate a favorite cookie from my childhood – the conti’s chocolate sprinkle cookie – has been haunting me for years. now that i live 3000 miles from all those italian pastry shops in the bronx, the only way to satisfy my craving for these delectable bites of heaven is to make them myself! but, i’m completely stumped. i’ve tried everything, including writing a letter to conti’s requesting their recipe. but alas, no response. and still no sprinkle cookie recipe.

so, as i muddle through my voyage to perfect this cookie, i have stumbled across another recipe that comes close in taste, but completely misses the boat on texture. oh well. it’s not what i was hoping for, but it’s quite good. with a bit of almond aftertaste from the extract, and a nice, light chocolaty taste from the real chocolate sprinkles direct from king arthur flour, they are light and refreshing cookies! a good choice for a light summer cookie!

chocolate sprinkle cookies v.2
ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup baker’s sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

instructions:
1. preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. beat butter until light and fluffy
3. add sugar to butter and mix until well combined.
4. add egg yolk and almond extract until completely combined.
5. add flour and mix just until combined.
6. using a #40 cookie scoop (approximately 2 teaspoonsful), place dough 2″ apart on your prepared baking sheets. using the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar, press down to flatten each mound of dough.
7. bake for 8-9 minutes, until cookies just begin to color at edge. remove from oven and let cool for approximately 1 minute on baking sheet.  remove from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
8.  when completely cooled, dip one edge of cookie into melted chocolate, then dip in chocolate sprinkles. place on wire rack allowing chocolate to dry completely before stacking in airtight container.
yield: approximately 36 cookies.

in the summer months, i often find that thick, fudgy cookies are a bit too heavy and filling when outside temps are reaching into the 80s and 90s. in looking for a chocolate cookie that works well in the heat, i decided to give this meringue a try. the texture is light, and even though the chocolate and walnuts would probably be heavier in a traditional cookie, they literally float in these fudgy meringues. they especially work well when served with a nice bowl of fresh raspberries.

fudgy meringues
ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup baker’s sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon shortening

instructions:
1. set egg whites in a mixing bowl to bring to room temperature.
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees. prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Add white vinegar, salt and vanilla to egg whites in large mixing bowl. beat with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form.
4. add sugar, slowly, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form and the sugar appears to be dissolved (depending on your mixer, this could be anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes.)
5. fold in the cooled (melted) chocolate and the walnuts. be careful not to overstir.
6. using #40 scoop (approximately 2 teaspoonfuls), drop onto prepared baking sheets. bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies puff up and outside edges look like they are beginning to split/dry.
7. remove cookies from oven, and move to wire rack to cool.
8. over low heat in a heavy saucepan, melt the remaining 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate and the shortening. once melted, drizzle slowly over cooled cookies. allow drizzle to dry before stacking.
enjoy!

yield: approximately 20 cookies.

sometimes, you need a quick and non-fussy cookie, packed with lots of flavor. these cinnamon flats fit the bill. with only a few ingredients you are sure to have in your pantry, the dough for these cookies comes together quickly, and you can bake them immediately, or (as is my preference), you can roll them into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. easy and tasty, what more can you ask for?

cinnamon flats
ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoon baker’s sugar (or granulated sugar)
1 cup all-purpose flour
granulated sugar for rolling baked cookies

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 300 degrees. line cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. beat butter until light and fluffy
3. add almond extract, cinnamon and sugar. mix thoroughly so all ingredients are incorporated into the fluffy butter.
4. add flour and mix until dough ‘comes together’. this may take more than a minute at medium mixer speed.
5. shape in long roll, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour, or overnight.
6. slice cookies approximately 1/4 inch and place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
7. bake for 12-13 minutes. cookies will be firm. remove from oven.
8. cool for about 2 minutes on baking sheet. remove cookies, one at a time and dip in bowl with granulated sugar to coat cookies completely. move to wire rack to cool completely.
9. enjoy!
yield: approximately 26 cookies

dunkers, that’s what these are. excellent dunkers. what’s a dunker, you may be asking? well, it’s a cookie that’s crunchy and solid and is best served alongside a good strong cup of espresso or a nice warm cup of tea — and then you dunk it! the combination of the cinnamon and a small bit of lemon zest makes this a tasty cookie. and the glaze adds a nice polished look to the cookie, making it an excellent part of your after-dinner buffet table.

pre-glaze and pre-baking

post-glaze and post-baking

glazey crazy 8 cookies
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup baker’s sugar
1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 egg
1 egg white

for glaze
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. beat the butter and eggs until pale, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. add the lemon zest and mix until incorporated
4. add whole egg and beat well.
5. add egg white and beat well.
6. add flour, baking powder and cinnamon. beat just until fully incorporated.
7. let dough sit for about 10 minutes to rest.
8. take enough dough (about 1 tablespoon worth) and roll into a 4″ rope about the width of a fat pencil (see picture above). twist the rope into a figure 8. place on parchment lined baking sheet.
9. bake cookies for 20 minutes – they will be lightly browned.
10. while the cookies are baking, make your glaze: whisk together egg white and confectioner’s sugar until creamy and smooth.
11. remove cookies from oven, lightly brush each cookie with the glaze mixture and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes of baking time.
12. remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
yield: approximately 40 cookies