TASTE Majestic Cookies Cookb
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Do you find yourself making the same cookies, from the same recipes, every time the calendar turns to December? We get it. Plenty of classics are In the TASTE cookie box, you’ll classics for a reason, but in TASTE find jewel-like jammers, velveteen Presents Majestic Cookies, we’re rainbow cookies, and alfajores that rethinking a few of these old cookie are gilded with banana caramel. standards. We’re swirling our slice- We’ve assembled some of our favorite and-bakes with tahini and black treasures from cookie royalty like sesame. We’re encrusting our Dorie Greenspan, Yotam Ottolenghi, snickerdoodles with ruby flecks of Molly Yeh, and Margarita Manzke. We sumac and freeze-dried raspberry. hope you’ll pull out your most regal We’re gently steering gingerbread in cookie tins, crank that oven to 350°F, a softly spiced cardamom direction. and bake along with us. The reason? If you’re going to put —The editors of TASTE together a box of cookies to give away to friends and lucky coworkers, why not make every single one of those cookies absolutely majestic? Banana– Dulce de Leche Alfajores In Baking at République, Margarita Manzke admits that one of her favorite desserts behind the pastry case at her Los Angeles bakery is a spin on the alfajor—a South American sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche. Jacklyn Yang, Manzke’s sous chef, takes the caramel filling a step further and adds bananas, brown sugar, and rum. All combined, the sweet, rich flavors—reminiscent of flambéed bananas—are a natural fit and hold together two soft, delicate butter cookies. BY MARGARITA MANZKE 4 Banana–Dulce de Leche Alfajores BY MARGARITA MANZKE MAKES 8 COOKIES DULCE DE LECHE ALFAJORES COOKIES 1 (396g / 14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 1 3⁄4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 cup cornstarch BANANA CARAMEL 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter packed 1⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted 2 small ripe bananas, mashed 1⁄4 cup cold water 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Myers’s dark rum Pinch of fine sea salt 1 To make the dulce de leche: Peel the label off the can of con- 5 Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your work sur- densed milk and put the can in a deep pot. Pour in enough face. Turn out the dough onto the parchment, and top with water to cover the can and reach 3 inches from the top of the another large sheet of parchment paper. Roll out the dough pot. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then decrease to 1⁄4 inch thick. Transfer the parchment and dough to a the heat to medium low and cook for 6 hours, periodically baking sheet and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. checking the pot and adding more water as needed to keep it at the original level. Using tongs, remove the can from the 6 Lightly flour the work surface. Peel off the top piece of pot and set it aside to cool overnight. The next day, transfer parchment and invert the dough onto the work surface. the dulce de leche in the can to a bowl and refrigerate until Remove the second piece of parchment. Reline the baking ready to use, or for up to 5 days. sheet with parchment. 2 To make the banana caramel: Combine the butter and both 7 Using a 2 1⁄2–inch round cutter, punch out 16 cookies and sugars in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, place them onto the prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart. stirring continuously. When the caramel turns a dark amber Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake the cookies until the edges color, turn off the heat and add the bananas, vanilla, rum, 8 are slightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking and salt. Turn the heat back to medium and cook the mixture sheet after 10 minutes to ensure even baking. Remove the until it’s thickened and has a jam-like consistency, 5 to 8 cookies from the oven and set aside until completely cool. minutes. Transfer the caramel to a bowl or container and cool. Transfer it to a pastry bag and keep it chilled in the 9 Separate the cookies into pairs, one for the bottoms of the refrigerator. sandwich cookies and the other for the tops. 3 To make the alfajores cookies: Sift the flour, cornstarch, 10 Turn over the set of cookie bottoms and pipe a double ring baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside. of dulce de leche, making sure to stay 1⁄4 inch from the edge of the cookie. Fill the centers with the banana caramel. Put Place the butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a 4 the tops on the cookies, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and cream The filled cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to on medium speed until just combined, but no longer. On low 3 days. speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the water in three portions, ending with the water. NOTE: For the best texture, it’s important not to overmix this dough and not to overbake the cookies—or they will be too crunchy and not tender. It’s supposed to be a pale cookie, almost white. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM BAKING AT RÉPUBLIQUE BY MARGARITA MANZKE, COPYRIGHT © 2019. PUBLISHED BY LORENA JONES BOOKS, A DIVISION OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC. PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT © KRISTIN TEIG 5 Crunchy Peanutpepper Cookies If your love of cookies tends to hover around the savory end of the spectrum, then this crunchy, salty, cayenne-spiked approach to the classic peanut-butter cookie is the one for you. Samantha Seneviratne, author of The New Sugar & Spice and The Joys of Baking, took inspiration from Hot Mix—a favorite Indian childhood snack made from peanuts, raisins, and crunchy noodles. For pure, unadulterated peanut flavor and texture, she recommends a natural peanut butter like Smucker’s. BY SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE 7 Crunchy Peanutpepper Cookies BY SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1⁄4 teaspoons kosher salt 3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for pressing 1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar 1⁄2 cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter, stirred well 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3⁄4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped 1 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cayenne, and baking soda. In a large bowl, stir the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. 2 Stir in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the peanuts. 3 Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared sheets at least 2 inches apart. Using a fork dipped in sugar, gently press a crisscross pattern in the top of each cookie, flattening it out to a 2-inch circle. 4 Bake until the cookies are light brown around the edges and on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheets on racks, then move them to the racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 1 month. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE NEW SUGAR & SPICE, BY SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE, COPYRIGHT © 2015. PUBLISHED BY TEN SPEED PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC. 8 Custard Yo -Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing These sandwich cookies from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s Sweet turn a classic Australian dessert into a soft, buttery vessel for bubblegum- pink rhubarb icing, sharpened with a bit of lemon. The dough’s secret ingredient is custard powder— an instant pudding mix that does triple duty here, lending the cookie structure, a sunny yellow color, and a soft, pleasantly artificial vanilla flavor. BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN GOH Custard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN GOH MAKES 15 COOKIE SANDWICHES RHUBARB ICING DOUGH 1 small stalk of rhubarb, trimmed, washed, and cut 1 1/3 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 into 1-inch/3-cm lengths tablespoon for dusting 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room 1/2 cup custard powder (or cornstarch) temperature, cubed 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon lemon juice 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or ½ teaspoon, if using cornstarch) 1 Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a small baking 5 Pinch off small bits of dough and use your hands to sheet with parchment paper. roll them into 1 1/8-inch round balls; you should have enough dough for 30 balls, about 1/2 oz each. 2 To make the rhubarb icing, spread the rhubarb out on the lined baking sheet and roast it for 30 minutes, 6 Place dough balls on the lined baking sheets, spaced or until softened.