Why yes, that is Earl Grey in my cookie!

Less than a year into our relationship TD and I wandered over to Europe on vacation. I point out how long we’d been dating because we were still in that stage where everyone is polite and both parties still happily do things the other likes. Even if they don’t.

We spent the first week in London and loved it. Of course. We did all the touristy stuff, drank at Punch and Judys (where I couldn’t keep myself from asking several of the locals why they were drinking Budweiser on a continent with far superior beer. The answer: same reason people drink it in the U.S.–you can drink a lot and still stand) and visited Harrods (we went at least three times that I recall).

One of the visits to Harrods was for the sole purpose of partaking in afternoon tea. There was going to be tea sipping and crumpet eating and lots of pinky lifting. Until we walked in and TD discovered that there was an ice cream shop right next to the tea shop. Somehow by some sort of relationship voodoo, I found myself agreeing to ice cream instead of tea. Oh, the salad days of early love. Good thing I don’t hold a grudge. Ha! Nearly 12 years later, this is the incident at the top of my, “well, remember the time” list whenever TD attempts to talk me into doing something I don’t want to do.

Anyhow, I do enjoy a nice cup of tea. Which brings us to this week’s post. Earl grey shortbread.

I love Earl Grey tea. Mostly, it’s the way it smells. But, I also love the word bergamot, one of the tea’s main ingredients. I love the way berg-a-mot rolls around in my mouth when I pronounce it (or think it). Bergamot is actually a type of orange (though its yellow) and it is what give Earl Grey tea its brightness.

In this recipe, the tea leaves are first finely ground (I used our coffee-bean-gone-spice-grinder) and then pulsed together in the food processor with dry ingredients and my own special addition: orange zest.

Then, the butter is cut-in until the dough just forms. The whole thing is rolled into a log and then, because I like a little sparkle, rolled in granulated sugar.

Some time in the fridge (or freezer) and all that is left to do is slice and bake.

This delicious cookie does create a bit of a quagmire. What do you drink with your shortbread when the tea is actually in the cookie?

Soundtrack

Amy Winehouse and her friends on Pandora

Earl Grey Shortbread

This recipe originated from Foodnetwork.com but has been adapted substantially by yours truly.

Ingredients

1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C rice flour (all purpose can be substituted)
2 TBS loose Earl Grey tea leaves (I’m a fan of Twinnings)
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest from large orange
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature, cut into cubes

Directions

Grind loose tea leaves in a spice or coffee bean grinder until fine.
Pulse together the flour, tea, salt, and orange zest until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour.
Add the confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla.
Pulse-in butter one cube at-a-time until a dough is just formed. Place dough on a sheet of parchment paper or plastic rap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Roll log in granulated sugar until coated.
Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (double wrap if freezing).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (2 probably needed depending on size of sheets). Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

Freezer snob(less) orange cranberry shortbread

In my holiday baking each year, I try to include a little something for everyone. There is always the sweet. And the nutty. And the chocolatey. And the simple. These profiles are easy. It’s the fruity I struggle with a little. In years’ past, the jam thumbprint has served me well. But, as solid as that recipe is, I feel it’s a little played-out. This year my search for fruity brought me to a simple cranberry-orange shortbread. Well actually, I decided I wanted to do something with cranberries and orange and then found a recipe to match.

And, it’s a good one.

Here’s why. You can make the dough, roll it into a log and freeze it for a couple of weeks. Then when you are ready, all you do is defrost, slice and bake. Okay, okay, I realize this is not a novel concept. Yes, I know, there is an entire category of treats called, “Icebox Cookies.” But, I have to admit, until this year, I was a bit of a freezer snob when it came to baked goods. I always thought freezing dough—either before or after baking would compromise the taste. And, for some recipes it does. So, this was my Betty Crocker modern housewife experiment. You know what? It worked.

I made a double batch, rolled out the logs, wrapped each in parchment, wrapped the whole lot in plastic, then freezer bagged everything and into the freezer the dough went. For a month.

Last weekend, at the very end of my baking, I pulled out the dough and let it defrost while the oven was pre-heating. Never one to pass up the opportunity to add glitter to a project, I rolled the dough in white sanding sugar first.

Because really, do you know anyone who doesn’t like sparkles?

Then, I sliced them up and into the over they went.

Ten minutes later, I had a light, crumbly, fruity addition to my holiday cookie menagerie.

Their uniform shape and depth would make the orange shortbread cookies an excellent candidate for clear cellophane bags. You could also make a variation or two and line them up neatly in a cute box.

This recipe is straight out of Southern Living. The only thing I added was the sanding sugar. I think those Southern Belles would approve.

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

Southern Living, December 2009

Yield: Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Wax paper

Preparation

1. Beat 1 cup softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 3/4 cup powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in chopped cranberries, orange zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract until blended.

2. Stir together 2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/8 tsp. salt.

3. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

4. Shape shortbread dough into 2 (7-inch) logs. Wrap each log in wax paper, and chill 4 hours, or freeze logs in zip-top plastic freezer bags up to 1 month.

5. Preheat oven to 350°.

6. If frozen, let logs stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cut each log into 24 slices. Place shortbread slices 1 inch apart on lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

7. Bake shortbread slices at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of slices are golden.

8. Remove shortbread from baking sheets, and place on wire racks; let cool completely (about 20 minutes). Store in airtight containers.

Candy is Dandy: Scratch Twix Bars

Like any proper Angelino, I spend a good deal of time sitting in my car participating in that daily rite of torture called commuting. In addition to keeping an eye out for the elusive chorizo truck during my morning pilgrimage up the 110 freeway, I also like to devote time to having deep thoughts.

Unfortunately for my chances at winning a Nobel Prize of any sort, the caliber and nature of my deep thoughts would be more at home in a Cosmo or Martha Stewart Magazine than Scientific American or The Economist. Much of the initial planning for Gingerbread Royce happened while I sat idling on the freeway. And more than once, I’ve found myself thinking through alternate ways of loading the dishwasher. Like I said, deep thoughts.

The origins of this recipe came from one such commute. And, given the nearness of my favorite holiday and the central role that candy plays in it, I thought now would be an apropos time to share. On that faithful morning a couple of months ago, I was pondering the merits of the Twix bar and how one might go about making them from scratch. In bar form. I’m sure there are recipes out there but I wasn’t really interested in anything that already exists. I wanted the challenge of creating my own. So I did. And after some trial and error that would make Goldilocks proud, I think I came up with a fairly decent version.

This recipe begins with a shortbread base. Shortbread is sort of like curry. While it categorically refers to a certain kind of butter-based baked good, the similarities between recipes end there. In this case, I’ve used a shortbread that includes golden brown sugar as a complement to the caramel that will sit on the top bunk.

First cream the butter. Then add the sugars and cream them as well. Trust me, the abuse of ingredients has just begun. Ooohhh…fluffy.

Press the sticky dough into a parchment-lined pan. Then poke all-over with a fork so that the steam can escape and you don’t get un-even shortbread.

Into the oven. And when it comes out: golden brown.

While the shortbread is cooling, it’s time to play with chemistry. Combine sugar, water and light corn syrup in a heavy sauce pan and bring it to a boil.

While things are heating up over here, melt the butter and add cream in a separate pan.

Soon (but really, it won’t seem soon enough. In fact, it will feel like an eternity because, you know what they say about watched caramel sauce), things will get a little golden.

In what seems like no-time, things go from pale gold to amber and it’s time to get down to business.

Once the caramel is just a tad darker than the picture above. Very carefully pour in the cream and butter mixture. Don’t be afraid, all hell is supposed to break loose at this point.

Don’t worry, things will calm down a bit. And then you wait for the caramel to get to that magical 248F on the candy thermometer.

At precicely 248F it’s time to pull the plug, get this off the heat and pour it over the shortbread. Now promise me something here. Promise okay? The aroma is going to be killing you…buttery, creamy, caramely. BUT now matter how strong the impulse, do not touch the caramel. If life was a game of Candy Land, caramel at 248 degrees would be the molten lava. Get it?

Spread the caramel evenly and sprinkle with sea salt. Then transfer the whole mess to the fridge and allow the caramel to set up.

When the caramel is firm, it’s time to crown our little project. Melt about a cup of your favorite chocolate (I’ve used bittersweet here). I’ve heard you can melt chocolate easy in the microwave, but I like to use a glass bowl over simmering water.

Smoooth.

Once the chocolate is melted, spread it evenly over the caramel layer. I like to use an off-set spatula for the job. Yeah, I know, you’d like me to use some better skills when photographing stuff…

Let the chocolate set-up in a cool, dry spot. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE. Putting it in the fridge will cool the chocolate down too quickly and it won’t temper properly. The result is dusty looking chocolate.

As usual, I recommend letting the whole thing rest over night. Then. Cut as desired and try not to eat the entire pan.

Of course, if three layers is just a jumping-off point. Why not four. Or five?

The Scratch Twix Bar

Makes about 100 1 inch squares

Shortbread Base:

20 TBS (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature.
½ C packed golden brown sugar
¼ C superfine sugar
2 ½ C sifted flour
¼ t kosher salt

Caramel:

½ C sugar
¼ light corn syrup
1 ½ C heavy cream
4 TBS unsalted butter
½ t vanilla extract
Sea salt for sprinkling

Chocolate Layer

1 C chocolate bits (I used bittersweet but use what you like)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add in sugars and cream additional 3 minutes. By hand, gently fold in salt and then flour until dough comes together. Press dough into a buttered, parchment lined 9X13 inch baking pan. Create vents by poking dough all over with a fork. Bake for 35-40 minutes until cookie is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

For caramel. Combine sugar, corn syrup and ½ C water in a deep saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Bring mixture to boil. Continue to boil until caramel is a golden brown. Do not stir the mixture. In a separate pan, melt butter and add cream, letting the mixture come to a simmer. Remove from heat but keep warm. Once caramel reaches the desired color, carefully add-in the cream mixture. The liquid will bubble up immediately but will calm down quickly. Stir in vanilla with wooden spoon. Cook mixture for 10 minutes until it reaches 248 degrees F (note: the temperature will be this high when you pour in the cream but will drop some and then come back up). Once the caramel reaches 248 degrees, very carefully pour over cooled shortbread. Use a spatula to spread the layer evenly (do not use fingers and do not tough the caramel, it is extremely hot). Sprinkle sea salt over caramel if desired. Place shortbread and caramel into the fridge to cool.

Once the caramel is cool and firm, the final chocolate layer can be added. In a double boiler, gently melt 1 C of desired chocolate pieces. Once pieces are melted, gently spread an even layer over caramel. Allow the chocolate layer to set-up in a cool dry spot. Do not refrigerate until the chocolate is completely set (doing so will decrease the temperature too quickly and the layer will appear dusty or grey). Once chocolate is set, cut to desired size and store in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Bars and a little nostalgia

In my first blog post ever, I established that I went to college and then graduate school in one fell swoop. At the same institution. I think I also established, maybe even in that same paragraph, that I’ve seen Sir Ian McKellen’s twig and berries. The part about seeing Gandolf’s private parts really has nothing to do with the fact that I spent eight straight years at UCLA. I just like to bring it up whenever possible. And it did happen in Royce Hall. But I digress.

What does have to do with going to college for eight years is that, at least in my case, I got very comfortable with not ever having any disposable income. I remember I walked to school for a year because I didn’t want to spend the extra five-bucks each day on parking. And come on, nobody walks in L.A.

One of the upsides of being relatively fund-free is that you get pretty okay with simply eating for sustenance. I am fairly certain that during the year I was finishing up my dissertation I existed almost entirely on Kashi Good Friend’s cereal, Trader Joe’s vegetarian pot stickers, $1 pint night beer and the business school café’s raspberry bars. What do you mean raspberry bars don’t really fall into the base of the food pyramid? You are right, they don’t. But one can get away with it when one is 25 and runs eight miles pretty much every day. And then walks to school. AND goes to graduate school in the field of education where often, one’s only chance of seeing an age-appropriate member of the opposite sex is to wander over to the business school under the auspices of procuring a snack. I may or may not have also taken courses in the business school to meet the same end. But, you can’t prove it.

Anyhow, back to the raspberry bars. They were really good. Even, well, especially, to my abused palate. The buttery and crumbly shortbread base was a nice counterbalance to the tart of the fruit jam. They had a certain nuttiness whose origin I could never quite figure out. And, they were cheap.

Being the classy girl I am, I threw myself a kegger when I finished graduate school (really though, as far as keggers go, this one was classy). Of course, the raspberry bars were on the menu. Still being poor and having spent what little cash I had on the beer, I found a recipe for my beloved fruit bars. It is a classic and according to me, perfect as written. Save for changing the dimensions of the baking pan, I have stayed true to the original Martha Stewart recipe.

That nuttiness I couldn’t quite put my finger on? It came from the shortbread. Ground, blanched almonds help make-up the bar’s base.

When Bessy makes an appearance, you know it’s going to be a good day.

The original recipe provides instruction for hand-cutting the shortbread dough. I don’t do that because I’m lazy and I have Bessy. A food processor is fantastic for just pulling together shortbread and pie doughs. In this recipe, half of the crumbly dough goes into the pan and half gets reserved for the topping.

Here is where my one recipe adjustment comes in. The original calls for a 10X14 pan. This makes much too thin a bar for this girl. I prefer a 9X13. Then again, I like my bars super strueselly. If you don’t, opt for the larger pan.

Have we talked about how I don’t like to get things on my hands? Well, I don’t. I know Ina says clean hands are a cook’s best tool, but I draw the line at sticky stuff. Like shortbread dough. This is a protracted way of explaining that to mold the dough I use parchment and a spatula. Of course I didn’t take a picture of it. It works, trust me.

And, into the oven the base goes until golden brown.

Go ahead and let the cookie cool completely.

Then, things get really fun. Add a layer of preserves.

And finally, the strussely [sic] topping. To that you can sprinkle some caster sugar over the top for a little sparkle. And really, who doesn’t need a little sparkle in their life?

Back into the oven until the top gets nice and golden. I admit my personal preference is to over-cook the topping. I don’t usually do it though since I generally like other people to consume at least one or two of the finished product.

Once out of the oven, let everything cool completely and cut.

Mmmmm…just like the Anderson School cafe used to make.

Raspberry (or any preserve) Bars, Martha Stewart

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and line a 9X13 inch baking pan with parchment.

2 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cup blanched almonds (about 11 ounces), finely ground in a food processor
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups raspberry jam

In food processor (or if you are a purist and care what Martha Stewart thinks about you), in a bowl, combine ground almonds, sugar, salt and flour. Add butter a few cubes at a time and pulse to combine (or cut-in butter with a pastry blender or fingers). Dough should barely just almost come together.

Press 1/2 of dough into pan and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely. Add an even layer of jam and top with remaining dough. Then back into the oven until topping is golden. Let cool and cut.