Have it Your Way

Summer weekends may have come to an end, but it's still hot, hot, hot! I spent most of my summer meal times sipping rosé rather than cooking anything (and is quite evident by my blog posts). I may have had a few cashews on the side for good measure. When it was super hot, I branched out and picked up some fro-yo or made this simple granita. What's great about a granita is that you don't need a fancy ice cream maker or other gigantic contraption, and you can really make any flavor that you want (maybe I should have made a rosé granita). This espresso version gives you a little caffeine jolt alongside the icy cold sensation, so go ahead and have it for breakfast. It's iced coffee weather!

Espresso Granita

2 cups strong hot coffee or espresso
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Stir espresso, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves.

2. Pour into a 9x9x2" metal baking pan and freeze for 1 hour. Stir, mashing any frozen parts with the back of a fork. Cover; freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Using a fork, scrape granita to form icy flakes. The granita can be made 3 days ahead. Cover tightly with foil; keep frozen. Give it a quick scrape before serving.

Christmas Eve Eve

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...well, in the midwest. No snow here in NYC but the decorations around midtown are pretty impressive. And even though it is Christmas Eve Eve, there is still time to bake more cookies! I think I might need to make an extra batch to take to the movies to eat instead of popcorn...

Last week there was a cookie baking fundraiser at work. For every cookie brought in, the Glad company would donate $1 for each to Cookies for Kids' Cancer. (There is a lack of funding for pediatric cancer research and improving therapies. Take a look at the website!) My office mates and I baked 742 cookies and collected cash donations as well. In one afternoon we raised over $1000! (Makes me feel better about all of the cookies that I ate after the count.) I made these two variations of shortbread which I am wishing I had now. Would be good for Christmas Eve breakfast and I have a free afternoon...

Espresso Shortbread

Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons espresso powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' or granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Sift together the flour and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), cream the butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. 

2. Dissolve the espresso powder in 1 teaspoon of hot water and add to the butter along with the vanilla and sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes more. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low, scraping the bowl if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed.

3.  Form the dough into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight). Roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Score a line down the middle of each with the back of a knife and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cookies will keep, in an airtight container, at room temperature 3 weeks.

Note: This dough can be prepared and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to three months, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Thaw the frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. The baking time for the shortbread will vary depending on the kind of pan and cutters used.

Pecan Sandies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup pecans, finely ground
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350˚F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

2. Mix the ground pecans with the flour and salt, and add to butter mixture. Beat, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium, until combined, about 1 minute.

3. Lightly flour your palms, if necessary, and roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake until just brown on edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet while still warm; sift confectioners' sugar over tops.

Coffee Cookies

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I've already been to my company holiday party and strung some Christmas lights (on a friend's tree - I have yet to decorate). Clearly I need to get baking! (And should probably start my holiday shopping...) Instead of making my usual 37 dozen cookies, I'm going to go the minimal route and just bake as needed which is to say...not very much. I just end up eating the cookies I don't bring to the office so why go crazy? These shortbread cookies are fab not only because they are delish but because the recipe makes so few cookies, you won't find yourself eating them for days on end or trying to pawn them off on everyone you encounter, including the not-so-subtle mail carrier who leaves a holiday note in your mailbox. (Really??) The chocolate espresso kick reminds me of my favorite candy, Pocket Coffee, the best candy invention of our time. Incidentally now is the time to stock up as they are a seasonal candy and are only shipped during cold weather months (hint hint). Maybe I should hang a stocking or two just in case.



Mocha Shortbread
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee beans, preferably espresso
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir in the coffee, and set aside.

2. Beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat well. Add the flour mixture, and beat until combined.

3. Pat the dough into an ungreased 8-inch round cake or springform pan lined with parchment paper. Bake until firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the shortbread from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Candy!

I've been either going out and not cooking, or, just not cooking for the past several nights. That's nothing new. But I have been feeling a little sluggish as a result, and can think of only one remedy. Pocket Coffee!

Pocket Coffee is my all time favorite candy. (I did have a short love affair with the Skor bar, but that was well before I knew of Pocket Coffee's existence.) How those fine people at Ferrero came up with this transcendent candy idea is beyond me. Oh, wait. What IS Pocket Coffee you ask? Aside from the best candy ever? It is the perfect little bite size nugget of liquid espresso encased by a thin sugary shell then enveloped by chocolate. Supposedly three pieces of this magic elixir equals a full shot of regular espresso. Whatever. It's delish.



The problem with Pocket Coffee is that's it's almost impossible to find! I can occasionally find it at Buon Italia in the NYC Chelsea Market, but otherwise it seems that you have to buy it online by the case (not that there's anything wrong with that!). I've also heard that, like the beloved Mallomars, they are only produced seasonally, October through April. (By the way, what is the deal with Mallomars? I personally can only stomach marshmallows when they are toasted and melty and smashed between chocolate and graham crackers. But that's just me.)

Anyway, should anyone have a line on some Pocket Coffee (aside from my friend who just left on a trip to Italy with a shopping list from me) let me know!