le sauce

day 12: vanillekipferl (vanilla crescents)

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

Oscar and Lena want to wish you all the best of the season if you celebrate, and however you celebrate. Where they're from, they exchange gifts on the night of many moons. I simply use the holidays as a month-long excuse to eat and drink too much. These cresents are now on my list of must-have holiday treats: they're delcious, the texture is amazing and they are super-easy to make. We hope you try them and love them too.

Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents)
Via Saveur 

1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for finishing cookies
1 c unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 oz. walnuts, finely ground in food processor
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling

Heat oven to 325F degrees. Beat together sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl; mix in nuts and flour. Flour and roll into a cylinder; divide into 48 pieces. Roll each into a sausage shape. Taper ends; bend into a crescent. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, 12–15 minutes. Sift with confectioners' sugar. Let cool.

Makes 4 dozen.

day 11: palmiers

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

As pretty and eye-catching as costume jewlellery and a method so easy that even I felt free to come up with my own recipe--for a cookie! That's how non-intimidating these are and how adaptable. Feel free to make your own looker, sweet, savoury--or both at once... I think there's a blue cheese and fig palmier in my future, for instance.

Elderflower Marmalade Palmiers

2 tbs marmalade
1 tbs elderflower liquor (or Cassis, another fruit liquor or orange juice)
Cane sugar or granulated sugar for dusting
230 g thawed frozen puff pastry

Mix the marmalade and liquor in a small bowl and set aside. Have a pastry or silicone brush on hand.

Dust a large piece of parchment paper with sugar and place thawed pastry on top. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll the dough to a 11" X 7" rectangle. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and quickly brush the pastry with 3/4 of the thinned marmalade. Use the bottom piece of parchment to help you roll the pastry, tightly, in toward the centre evenly from both sides (one side at a time). Brush the outsides with the remaining marmalade mixture and use it to help make the roll stick together as much as possible. Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or even overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from plastic wrap and quickly slice crosswise into 1/2"-thick slices. Place slices 2-inches apart on a parchment-line baking sheet and flatten them slighlty with your hand. Bake 6-8 minutes (make sure the bottoms don't burn), turn over and bake for another 6-8 minutes or until golden on both sides. Transfer immediately to a wire rack and cool completely.

 Makes 15-18 cookies.

day 10: flat-and-chewy chocolate-chip cookie

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

This is the one. The one you leave out for Santa. Not only is it the quintessntial chocolate cookie that requires pairing with ice-cold milk, it's special enough, truly flat and chewy in the end and with chocolate slivers melding into the cookie base, rather than chips floating aruond on top, that Santa will remember you for years to come. And the fact that you could resist eating them all and could manage share these, well, that secures your spot on the NICE list. Guaranteed.

Flat-and-Chewy Chocolate-Chip Cookies
VIa the New York Times

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)
2 cups chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.

Roll 2 1/2 -tablespoon lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/2 -inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack.

Makes 30 to 35 cookies.

day 9: tuiles

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

Perhaps the most oddly-shaped cookie out there, but who are we to say? Somewhere in the universe, these may be what every cookie looks like: flat, lacy, entirely crispy without being remotely floury or cracker-like, and curled up into itself. Or, perhaps, they looks alien to... everyone, everywhere. Regardless, they'll be universally enjoyed and always a welcome treat, that much I know.

Pistachio Tuiles
Via Martha Stewart Living

2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped in a food processor

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk sugar, egg whites, and salt in a medium bowl until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in butter, then flour. Stir in pistachios.

Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat. Place a long-handled wooden spoon on a clean work surface; prop up each end on a metal spoon to raise it slightly (you will use handle of wooden spoon to form tuiles).

Drop teaspoons of batter onto baking mat, spacing about 2 inches apart; flatten into 1 1/2-inch rounds. Bake until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 30 seconds.

Working quickly with one cookie at a time, use an offset spatula to lift cookies from sheet and drape them over spoon handle. (If cookies become too crisp to work with, return to oven until pliable, about 1 minute.) Let cookies cool slightly, 20 to 30 seconds, then remove from handle; press sides together to close. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter. Tuiles can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Makes about 6 dozen.

day 8: shortbread

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

The most surprising cookie of all the ones I baked. First, the oddest technique: dough baked in its entirety and then sliced--kinda weird to watch the blob spread out, get seemingly too thin all around and too dark/crispy at the end yet completely work. And also, damn tasty. Like, way more tasty than I expected and the most commented on cookie by my lucky recipe testers.

Put whatever holiday spins you must on this classic shortbread cookie, but just make sure you make them.

Shortbread Cookies
Via Cooking by James Peterson

YS note: Feel free to cut the dough into diamond-shaped "lozenges" as Peterson recommends, once it has baked. My dough didn't spread out as evenly as expected, causing some parts to be thinner and darker in areas. I cut my cookies into squares or different sizes to create more flattering cookies, but all parts, lightly brown and crispier/darker were equally delicious (don't worry if your dough looks odd as soon it comes out of the oven too.)

1/2 pound butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1¾ cups flour
¼ cup turbinado sugar or additional granulated sugar (optional)

In a bowl with a wooden spoon, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium speed, beat together the butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and the salt for about 7 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with the mixer, or until smooth and creamy. Add the flour and work by hand or on low and then medium speed with the mixer until the dough comes together in a cohesive mass. Flatten the dough, wrap it in waxed paper, and chill it about 15 minutes but not too long or it will harden the dough, making it too hard to handle.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or use a nonstick sheet pan. On a floured work surface, using a rolling pin our your fingers, roll or press the dough into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Transfer to the prepared pan, cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale brown on top. Remove from the oven, transfer the log to  cutting surface a, and immediately cut the rectangle into 1-inch-wide strips. Then cut across the strips at about a 30-degree angle every 2-inches to make lozenges. Let cool completely on cooling racks and then pull apart the cookies.

Makes about 20 cookies.

day 7: poppy seed hamantashen

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

Cute little things and they'd better be for their finicky-ness. I have some tips* on how to make this dough work if you have any trouble--and you may have a little your first time out, but trust me, these cookies are worth it. Poppyseed hamantashen are like a prettier and tastier fig cookie (yes, the big brand fig cookies you're thinking of but tastier) with their sticky, poppyseed filling and cakey cookie exterior. Sort of a grown-up and less-expected option to the tried-and-true jam cookies that abound at the holidays.

Hamantashen With Poppy Seed Filling
Adapted slightly from the New York Times, which was adapted from “Schmaltz” by Shmil Holland

*YS note: After chilling in the fridge for just an hour, wrapped in plastic wrap, my dough was far to hard to roll, and letting it warm up for 20 minutes did not help. It was extremely crumbly and I had to add a few tablespoons of water and re-mix dough, chill again and then proceed. If your dough is crumbly, add up to 3 tablespoons of water to bring into a pliable dough before wrapping and chilling it. I learned, later, than another way to get hard cookie dough to submit to you is to bash it flat with a rolling pin, repeatedly. It makes it more workable and half your work is done for you since it's half-way rolled out. Plus it's true, those rumours, not much else feels as good as pounding something with a rolling pin. Lastly, pinch your corners together firmly or these pretty triangles will revert back to unfolded rounds while baking.

For the dough:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large egg yolks
8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature, in small pieces
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
Dash of salt
1 large egg, beaten, for the glaze

For poppy seed filling:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
1 cup poppy seeds
1/3 cup raisins
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tablespoon brandy
1/2 tablespoon orange liqueur
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract.

Put the confectioners’ sugar and the egg yolks in a food processor and blend. Add butter and lemon zest and process to blend. Gradually add the flour and the salt, pulsing until it forms a ball. If your dough is too crumbly to come together in a ball, add up to 3 tablespoons of water, as needed.* Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Put milk, sugar and orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Grind poppy seeds in coffee grinder. When mixture is warm, turn heat to low and add poppy seeds and raisins. Cook until the seeds absorb the milk and the mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice, brandy, orange liqueur and butter. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the vanilla extract, remove from the heat and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 pastry sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and use a cookie cutter or glass to cut 3-inch circles. Put a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of each, and press up the sides to form triangles. Brush the tops with beaten egg.

Bake until golden and dough is delicately firm all the way through, about 15 minutes. If trays are on different racks, switch them after about 10 minutes.

Makes 24-30 cookies.

day 6: green tea butter cookies (langues de chat!)

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

Langues de chat always appealed to me for their name alone (French for cat tongues, named for their shape) but Clotilde's clever version caught my eye for their colour. Cookies made green with matcha powder are a treat to behold and better to eat. A cup of hot matcha is a fitting pairing for its flavour and but also because each, warm virtuous and subtle sip balances out a few buttery cookies perfectly. I prefer to pair them both with another favourite coupling of mine: my couch and my magazine.

Matcha Green Tea Butter Cookies (Langues de Chat au Thé Vert)
Via Chocolate & Zucchini

60 grams (1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon) unsalted butter, softened
60 grams (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) sugar
2 egg whites
60 grams (1/2 cup) flour
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 1/2 teaspoon matcha (powdered green tea)

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer, and process until fluffy. Add the egg whites and process until combined. Add the flour, fleur de sel, and matcha powder, and process until smooth. Cover and chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Transfer the batter in a pastry bag with a 5-mm (1/5-inch) tip, or use a food storage bag and snip one corner to create a 5-mm opening. Squeeze the batter onto the prepared baking sheet to form 6-cm (2 1/3-inch) sticks, not too close to one another. Slip into the oven and bake for about 7 minutes, until the edges start to brown but the center remains green.

Transfer the cookies on a cooling rack while still warm, and let cool completely. The langues de chat will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.

(For the classic langues de chat, substitute 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for the green tea powder, and bake until the edges start to brown but the center remains pale.)

Makes about 18 cookies.

day 5: honey-gingerbread town square with royal icing

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

Oscar and Lena live in a quaint town on a planet where the houses are made of honeyed gingerbread. What makes it even more special is that they don't work, yet they have money to travel whenever they want. It snows but they have no visible hair or clothes yet are never cold. I've pressed them for the location but they're vague and start talking about the state of the Euro or their love of fried shishito peppers instead. When I finally get it out of them, how to get to their home town, I'm buying a train ticket asap. You can come too.

Honey-Gingerbread Cookies
Via Martha Stewart Living

Note: To make the houses you see above, you can use these townhouse templates.

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup honey
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
Royal Icing (recipe follows)

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in honey and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Divide dough into 3 portions, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a generously floured piece of parchment, roll dough to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Slide dough and parchment onto a baking sheet, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Cut out desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove sheets from oven, and tap them firmly on counter to flatten cookies. Return to oven, rotating sheets, and bake until crisp but not darkened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain round tip (such as Ateco #0 or #1). Pipe designs on cookies. Let cookies stand at room temperature until set, at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

Makes about 2 dozen town houses, 4 dozen deer or trees, or 6 dozen men

 

Royal Icing
Via Martha Stewart Living

1 pound confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed
5 tablespoons meringue powder

Beat sugar, meringue powder, and a scant 1/4 cup water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time; if too thin, beat icing for 2 to 3 minutes more, or add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight; stir before using.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

day 4: shaker lemon bars

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

Some people think baking is magical because of the science behind it. It is pretty cool, the way temperature and chemical reactions turn white powders into cakes and bread. But it's almost as magical that you can use two whole lemons in this recipe, peels and all, and still come out with a cookie that's sweet. That would be the magical power of two cups of sugar at work, taming one of the tartest things into almost complete submission. Almost.

Shaker Lemon Bars
Via Martha Stewart Living

Note: Begin the first step the day before you plan to bake these cookies.

2 lemons, washed and dried
2 cups plus 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Confectioners' sugar, for sifting

Slice lemons as thinly as possible; remove seeds. Toss slices with 2 cups sugar; transfer mixture to a flat resealable plastic container. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

Place butter, salt, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture is crumbly and starts to hold together.

Heat oven to 400F degrees. Line a 12-by-17-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, making sure there are no holes. There should be at least 1/2-inch crust of dough going up the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Place lemon-sugar mixture and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until lemon rinds are in 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces, 30 to 40 seconds. Pour mixture over cookie crust. Bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Trim 1/2 inch around edges of pan. Cut into about sixty 1 1/4-by-2-inch pieces. Sift confectioners' sugar over cookies.

Makes about 5 dozen.

day 3: coconut cookies

    [^{the le sauce} ₁₂ days of cookies]

I sort of think that anything with coconut in them is sophisticated by definition. I hated the texture and taste of dessicated coconut for most of my life and had to acquire a taste for coconut-anything. The kids I know are not fans either, but I wonder if they'd feel differently about these incredibly sweet and chewy cookies...

Even if past, immature me could have appreciated them, these are delicate and pretty and still make me want to serve them at, say, a meeting of that serious book-club or parlour I have yet to become a member of. In the meantime, I can whip up dozens of these for entertaining over the holidays--no mixers and no rolling make this the kind of recipe that even I can can call truly simple.

Coconut Cookies
Via Saveur

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs flour
4 tbs melted butter
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg

Moisten your hands with water to aid in forming the balls. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix coconut flakes, sugar, flour, melted butter, egg yolks, and whole egg in a medium mixing bowl until ingredients hold together. Roll dough into walnut-size balls and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets until golden on top, about 15 minutes.

Makes about 24 cookies.