We are introduced, at an early age, to the sweet wondernous of a cookie. From teething cookies to soothe the swollen aching gums of incoming incisors, onto animal crackers purchased in rectangular-shaped boxes bearing a string handle for easy toting by little fingers. Deciding which part of the animal should be eaten first-the trunk of the elephant or the tail of a lion-depended on how hungry one was. Savor each and every one or simply gobble them down as fast as possible.

My next cookie memory would be the ever famous, possibly all-time favorite, the chocolate chip cookie. There is nothing better than to bite into a round circle of baked dough sprinkled with gooey melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. A chocolate chip cookie can dry tears, heal broken hearts, mend scraped knees and elbows and solve sibling arguments. Most of the problems in the world could likely be solved by a properly baked, right out of the oven, chocolate chip cookie. The power of a cookie is underestimated.

I will attempt in the next 365 days to prepare and comment on a year’s worth of different cookies-one for each day. My goal is to share with others my extreme love of cookies-baking them and especially eating them! Feel free to send me your favorite recipe, your earliest cookie memories, or how cookies may have influenced your life. Cookies Rule!


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Cookie Recipe #158 - Melting Moments


This is a buttery sandwich cookie with a creamy chocolate filling. Take a moment and let one melt in your mouth.

Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup cake flour, 1 1/2 cups cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla. Frosting: 1/2 cup butter, room temperature, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 ounce dark, bittersweet chocolate, melted (or 1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted).

Instructions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In medium bowl, sift both flours, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In large bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and lightened slightly in color. Mix in flour mixture just until flour is incorporated and smooth dough forms.

For each cookie, roll a level tablespoonful of dough between hands into a smooth ball. Place the cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Use fork to gently flatten cookies into 1 1/4 inch disks leaving tines of fork impression in each cookie (only once, not crisscross as with peanut butter cookies).

Bake cookies about 20-25 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring to wire racks to finish cooling.

Make frosting as follows: Stir butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Melt chocolate in microwave until smooth when stirred; add to butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Spread a rounded teaspoonful of frosting evenly over flat bottom of a cookie. Gently press the flat bottom of a second cookie on top of frosting, forming a sandwich. Continue with remaining cookies. Serve at room temperature.

Cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature up to 5 days.

Makes 2-2 1/2 dozen sandwiches.

Cookies Rule!!!

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