Cream Wafers with Grapefruit Blood Orange Filling

As I write this post, my valentine is off on a work trip, and I can hardly stand it. A lot of my friends think Evan and I are pretty independent because we have our own hobbies that, after years and years of being together, we don�t try to push on each other. He has his nerd things and video games and electronic music, I have cooking and being in nature and scary movies and reading. We�re pretty good about doing our own thing and being totally cool with it.
But what our friends might not see is that we�re also weirdly codependent. Have you watched How I Met Your Mother (3 full times through, like we have)? Because in a lot of ways, we�re a lot like Lilly and Marshall. We know almost every tiny detail of each others day� from every single item we ate to what conversations we had at work to what articles we read throughout the day. There�s an episode of HIMYM where Lilly and Marshall tell each other every detail when they go to the bathroom� we�re not quite there (yet) buuuuuuut we�re close. Just kidding. <Glances to the side>. Is that weird? Is it too much? Anyway. I hope our little mini snowstorm in Seattle doesn�t delay his trip home, because I wish he was here. Also I seriously can�t fall asleep without him. And I don�t really mean that in a gushy way� I just read a lot of mystery books and listen to a lot of murdery true crime podcasts and finished watching The Fall the first day he was gone. So you know, I basically lie awake staring at the shadows surrounding the bedroom door for three hours before falling asleep. 

Which in no way leads me here, to these Valentines Day cookies! Cream wafer cookies with grapefruit and blood orange filling, to be exact. Have you had cream wafers? I saw a photo of them around Christmas, and couldn�t get over how cute they are. The dough is super simple and almost boring: flour, butter, cream. Literally that�s it. Then you cut out the cookies, roll them in sugar, and bake them. On their own, they taste a little like pie dough, i.e.: butter and flour. But when you add the citrusy sweet frosting, something magical happens. It really brings the whole thing together. The cookies are soft but with a slightly flaky crunch type thing going on with the sugar coating, and the filling has that grapefruit tang I love, and is super pretty and naturally pink from the grapefruit marmalade (which I got at TJ�s and loooove on vanilla ice cream) and blood orange juice. Also these are tiny so you can pop one after another and not even realize you�re just consuming sticks upon sticks of butter. 

Also, I envisioned the perfect little teeny heart shaped cookies but I couldn�t find the right cutter� so I rolled some of the dough into a heart shaped log and just sliced those bad boys. They�re aight, but I definitely like the cut-out circle ones better. Oh, and yeah, I pipe frosting out of a ziplock baggie with the corner cut. So there's that. 

Cream Wafers with grapefruit blood orange filling

Cookie recipe from here, filling adapted from here
If you can�t find grapefruit marmalade, you can use orange marmalade, or your favorite thick jam. You can also use any citrus in place of the blood orange juice, but might not get that pretty pink color.

Cookies 2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream Granulated sugar Filling 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened 1.5 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons grapefruit marmalade 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed blood orange juice

Cream the butter until smooth, and add the flour and cream. Mix (with a hand/stand mixer or fork) until evenly combined. Roll dough into 3 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 375F. Put a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Working with one dough ball at a time (keep the others in the fridge until ready to roll), on a lightly floured surface, roll to about 1/8th inch thick, and cut out using small (about the size of a quarter) cookie cutters. Dip each side of the cut-outs into the sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet, and poke each cookie with about 6 little holes with a fork or toothpick. Bake 7-9 minutes. Cookies should be firm but not browned. Carefully transfer to wire rack and cool completely. For filling, mix together all filling ingredients (with a hand or stand mixer) until combined, light, and fluffy. Pipe filling on the inside of half the cookies, and top with the other half of the cookies to make little sandwiches.

Holiday Cookie Inspo

My life right now:

• A blazing fire and a sort-of-sometimes-but-not-really cuddly cat
• Three sets of mis-matched battery operated tree lights (including one that only blinks and won�t stay solid) bc my first Christmas with said cat, 10 years ago, she bit into the lights and electrocuted herself and I�ve used battery operated ones ever since. 
• Mariah Carey Christmas tunes 
• Teavana white chocolate peppermint tea 
• A (3rd) rewatch of How I Met Your Mother
• Trying to ignore political news because: anxiety
• Regretting every single time I go on Facebook because: political news/ anxiety, but doing it anyway
• A pot of chili (usually with turkey, black beans, and pinto or white beans� never kidney beans bc Evan hates them, and only squash additions when he�s not looking) bc it�s all I want to make this chilly-chili weather season
• My Favorite Murder podcast, all day everyday

It�s sounds like I�ve been really hunkering down, but I feel like I�ve barely been home lately, and I�m really craving some cozy couch time with a side of hot cocoa (wherein no one talks to me for a good 24 hours bc the introvert in me is maxed the F out and needs some quiet alone time to recharge). Three weekends ago was turkey day, two weekends ago we were down in my hometown visiting my ma and eating the most giant ribeyes ever at a neighboring town�s diviest ever dive-bar that serves huge amazing steaks + baked potatoes, and last weekend Evan and I were in SF meeting our squishy, precious, amazingly sweet, absolute doll of a new baby niece, Sydney Rose (we were also eating all the things, as one does in SF). Between those trips plus holiday parties plus work plus life plus fitness (just kidding, I haven�t worked out in like, 2 months� just adding that one in there, in the hopes it motivates me), I haven�t made one batch of holiday treats (actually, considering I haven�t worked out in 2 months, maybe the lack of Christmas cookies in my life is a good thing).

BUT! In all disregard for my hips and waistline and also a pic I just saw of myself right before my wedding/ right after my dad passed away when I was a good 20 lbs less than I am now, sigh/ugh... I do hope to get some cookie baking in this weekend. So, without further ado, here�s some holiday baking inspo:

From the Loves Food, Loves to Eat archives:

SLICE AND BAKE CHOCOLATE DIPPED ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD COOKIES: I posted these ON THIS DAY last year, and they were so buttery, herbaceous, and chocolatey. Not too sweet, great addition to a cookie exchange or tin of mixed treats!

SLICE AND BAKE SPICE COOKIES WITH CITRUS GLAZE AND SEA SALT: Slice and bake for life because I�m so lazy and it�s just too easy. I even slice and bake my chocolate chip cookies now� but anyway, these little pretties are spicy and chewy and citrusy and make them.

PEPPERMINT MOCHA ICEBOX COOKIES: OMG you guys� I didn�t even mean to do this as I was pulling together this list, but here�s another slice and bake.

From around the interwebz:

CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM VIA DESSERT FOR TWO: Christina says these drop cookie sandwiches are super easy.. they�re not slice n bake, but I�ll take it. They seriously look so good� but also what about a tahini buttercream filling!?

GINGERBREAD THUMBPRINTS VIA LOVE AND OLIVE OIL: My mom made peanut butter blossoms every Christmas when I was growing up (ie: PB thumbprint cookies with a Hershey�s Kiss)� but it turns out, my sister doesn�t like the PB + chocolate combo (which kills me), so these might be a perfect replacement!

HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH TOASTED MARSHMALLOWS VIA THE CANDID APPETITE: cozy, cozy, cozy. These just make me wish it would snow already, and make me wish I liked winter sports. 

VANILICE VIA LITTLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE: For starters, these little sandwich cookies are the cutest. And also, she keeps vanilla beans in her powdered sugar� genius. 

Unrelated... remember when I did this Home Alone Dinner + Movie post? lololuuulll. On my movie-watching to do list between now and Dec. 25: Home Alone and, because it's been awhile, Home Alone 2, Lost in NY, a full Wes Anderson marathon, and of course, Krampus, the Evil Christmas Elf. Happy wintertime holiday fun, friends! 

Slice and Bake Spice Cookies with Citrus Glaze and Sea Salt

IT�S COOKIE SEASON YOU GUYS!!!

So many cookies, so few months until I need to squeeze into a maid of honor dress for my sister�s wedding. Why is this time of year just sooo unavoidably cozy and carby and sugary? 
We were still having crisp but sort of warmish weather right up until daylight savings, and it�s like when the clocks changed, Seattle got all cold and chilly. And dark at 5PM. And also, how on earth is it November!? Ugh, it�s so insane how fast time flies. But anyway, the point is, it�s stormy and gloomy outside, and warm and cinnamon-cookie scented inside.    
I almost didn't share these cookies here... they're not over the top special or crazy or "the next big thing," they're just a really solidly awesome buttery spice cookie with the perfect chewy-crispy texture. My secret? Chocolate chip cookie dough! Even without the chocolate, ccc dough has the best texture and buttery brown sugar flavor. Last winter when I was making chocolate chip cookie variations like my life depended on it, I started rolling the dough into logs and freezing it. The dough works really well as a slice and bake, and the cookies are perfectly shaped. Oh, and the fresh citrus-cinnamon glaze dries into the prettiest smooth shell coating. So simple and so good! 

Spice Cookies with Citrus Glaze and Sea Salt
Makes about 36 cookies

These slice and bake cookies work best when the dough is frozen, so plan to make the dough a day in advance. 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar (or 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, if you have it) 
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (store-bought or make your own) 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons fresh citrus juice (I used grapefruit and clementine)
Pinch of cinnamon
Flaked sea salt

In stand mixer or with hand mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar (and turbinado, if you using), and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth, beating for about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, vanilla, and fresh ginger, scraping bowl to combine. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice (not the extra cinnamon though). 

With mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat until combined. Separate dough into two balls. 

Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap, and sprinkle half the cinnamon on it. Roll one dough ball gently in cinnamon until the outside is coated, then roll into a log (about 1.5 inch diameter), and wrap with plastic wrap. Repeat with 2nd dough ball. Place both logs in a freezer bag, or additional plastic wrap, and freeze until frozen through. 

To bake:
Preheat oven to 360 degrees F. Pull out one log, and slice in 1/2 inch thick slices (should be about 18 per log). Arrange spaced evenly on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

To glaze:
Whisk together powdered sugar, cinnamon, and citrus juice (start with 3 T of the juice, and add more if needed). The glaze should be thin and runny, but not watery. Once cookies are completed cool, dip the top of each one in the glaze. When the glaze is set but not totally hardened and dried, and a few flakes of salt to the top of each one. Let glaze dry completely, then eat!

Post Valentine's Sweets for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following easy, yet impressive recipe for the sweet people in your lives on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.

(Photo by Karen Peters)

Chocolate Mud Puddle Cookies

3 cups walnut halves, toasted, cooled and roughly chopped
4 cups powdered sugar (Icing, Confectioner's)
1/2 cup +3 tbs unsweetened Cocoa (See Camino or Callebaut for Fair Trade)
scant 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 tbs good quality vanilla extract
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to320�F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

Sift sugar, cocoa and sea salt.  Stir in the chopped walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla.  Stir until all combined.

Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets and leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread, about 6 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake until the cookies puff up.  The tops get glossy and then crack a bit, about 12-15 minutes.

Cool cookies on cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Spanish Fare for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy

Yesterday I presented the following recipes for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy on the theme of Spanish Fare.  I chose these because they are so versatile and easy to make.

Bonnie Tulloch, Education Coordinator for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, presented on various plants indigenous to Spain, used in the cuisine.  Kelly Burton, of the MLCC, presented lovely beverage pairings with each course.

Moorish Almond Cookies.  Photo by Karen Peters


Reception Beverage:  Villa Conchi Cava, Spain, $13.99

1. Black olive Tapenade
Paired with Corazon Loco Tino, Spain, $12.88  (Really wonderful and paired each dish as well!)

1 cup black olives, pitted
� cup softened sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
� (+) cup Olive oil
Pepper, to taste

Blend all ingredients to a paste in a processor. Adjust seasoning to taste. Use on crackers, baguettes, stuffed in meats, etc.

Enjoy!

2. Spanish Smoked Paprika Shrimp
Paired with Juan Gil Moscatel, Spain, $13.99, perfect with the Shrimp!

1 lb peeled, wild caught shrimp
1 tbs butter
Drizzle olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
Pinch sea salt

Heat butter and oil in saut� pan. Add shrimp and toss well. Add garlic and then paprika. Serve with bread when shrimp is firm and pink. 

3. Spinach and Parmesan Frittata
Paired with El Petit Bonhomme Blanco, Spain, $13.99

3 Tbsp. olive oil
6 eggs
3 thinly sliced potatoes
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
pinch grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350�. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil.Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove.  Pour egg and potato mixture in skillet and cook over medium heat for 5-7  minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

4. Almond Cookies (Moorish)
Paired with Malamado Malbec Mendoza, Argentina, $23.99 (Really a gorgeous fortified wine)

1 cup butter

� cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups presifted flour

� tsp salt

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (can use pecans or almonds)

*Note, if mixture dry and crumbly, add egg and/or a bit more butter.  Depends on humidity.

Cream butter, add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.  Add vanilla, flour and salt.  Mix well.  Add in nuts.  Use 1 tsp � 1 tbs, depending on the size of crescent or cookie that you prefer, to shape in hands to make the crescents.  Bake on ungreased sheet at 325�F for 30 minutes.  Roll in icing sugar while warm. 

These cookies take time to make but look and taste good.  They freeze well but do not pack well.

Braunschweiger Kuchen, Gro�ma's recipe, by request

These cookies are from an old recipe of my grandmother's (Gro�ma Klassen).  The recipe calls for 4 1/4 cups flour but the extra 1/4 cup is not often used.

Braunschweiger Kuchen

 2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter
4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground mace (or nutmeg)
1 tsp soda
1 tsp ground star anise
1 egg
1tbs lemon juice
1 tbs grated lemon zest
2 tbs milk

Mix the sugar and honey and heat over gentle heat (flame) until melted.  Do not boil.  Add butter, lemon juice and zest.  Cool.

Combine milk to which a beaten egg is added and stir liquids into flour that has been sifted with spices and soda.  Should be a soft sticky dough.

Let stand, wrapped in plastic, overnight.

Roll dough out 1/8 inch thick.  Sprinkle with sugar and roll over once.  Cut into shapes.

Bake at 350�F for up to 15 minutes (I baked for 11-12 minutes until just brown, depends on pans and ovens).  Store when cooled in containers with a piece of apple until cookies are soft - up to 3 weeks.

Happy Holidays!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013: Peppermint Mocha Icebox Cookies

For the second year in a row, I participated in THE BEST COOKIE SWAP EVER: The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! Last year I made Maple Waffle Cookies for the swap. This year, I decided to go minty and chocolaty.

I�m pretty much obsessed with peppermint. When peppermint ice cream starts popping up in stores I go crazy. It�s so good! And I�ll even bend my no-sugar, no-flavorings-in-coffee rule for peppermint mochas. Chocolate, coffee, peppermint...seriously, put that in my stocking this year!

I had seen peppermint mocha cookies before, but usually in drop-cookie form, with pieces of crushed candy cane mixed in the dough. I wanted to make something new, so I decided to do slice and bake cookies (icebox cookies), and then dip them in chocolate and coat that in crushed candy canes.

Sidenote #1: crushed candy canes are the most beautiful thing ever. It�s like sparkly white and pink glitter snow.

Sidenote #2: crushing candy canes kind of sucks. I put them in a big freezer sized ziplock, then wrapped that in a hand towel, then beat it with a hammer. Then, because I�m crazy and wanted perfect tiny little speckles, I sifted out the big chunks. #imcrazy

I love icebox cookies because they�re so easy. You can make the dough, then roll it in logs (which, unfortunately, resemble a friendly little Christmas cartoon named Hanky), and then freeze. Then you can fully clean your kitchen, listen to some holiday tunes, watch Home Alone, drink some hot buttered rum, get a good night�s sleep, and wake up the next day, bright eyed and ready to slice and bake!

Sidenote #3: I love the word icebox. Oooh, how retro. How very Madmen of you, Amber!

Also, thanks to the espresso powder, these cookies are super chocolaty. Like, majorly so. Like tiny little cookie shaped brownies. You�ll die ten times. Then you�ll add that cool pepperminty crunch of the crushed candy canes, and you�ll die a few more times. Probably 15 times in all.

Guys. Seriously.

Peppermint Mocha Icebox Cookies

Very loosely adapted from this recipe 

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup quality unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

8-10 candy canes, crushed

Whisk flour, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, beat sugar, vanilla, and egg on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add butter and continue to beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 more minutes. Using your fingers, work flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is just combined. It will be sticky and a little difficult to work with, but it's all worth it!

Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 9" log. Wrap each log in parchment paper, twisting ends tightly to make a uniform longs. Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap dough and slice each log into rounds about 1/3 inch thick. Place rounds 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake until cookies are slightly puffy, about 8-9 minutes. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to a rack to cool. Be careful, they're really soft at first. 

Let cookies cool completely. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or over a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Dip each cookie half-way in the chocolate (I tried to dip only on the top), and then dip in crushed candy canes. Set on wax paper to harden. Let cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Wait, there's more!

Looking for more recipes from the cookie swap? Check out the blogs of my random matches: the bloggers I sent these bad boys to, as well as the bloggers who sent cookies to me!

Strudel and Streusel

Thirty Five Ninety Five
Pudgie Pies

A Family Feast

DESIGN + LIFE + KIDS

It's Good to be the Cook