Makin' Whoopie (Pies)

The snowy weather is getting me down. I'm lucky that I don't have to get out there with a shovel and strain my back lifting the heavy white stuff that seems to be falling every other day. Still though, putting on boots, a scarf, heavy jacket, gloves and a hat every time I go out is just plain tiresome. I long for the days when I can just go outside in a t-shirt and the only thing on my head is a pair of Ray Bans.

When the days are short and the weather is below freezing I love to make comfort food. But what's the equivalent of comfort food in terms of cookies? One could argue that all cookies are comfort food but I prefer to think there are some extra decadent cookies that get my endorphins going without the monotony of a treadmill. I think I found the ultimate comfort cookie in the Whoopie Pie.

Just the name puts a smile on my face. Whoopie! I did a google search and found an article in the N.Y. Times about the resurgence of the Whoopie Pie published just about this time last year. These cakey mounds of deliciousness are perfect with a tall glass of milk. The buttercream filling is so decadent it will make your blood vessels scream for a dose of Lipitor. But they are worth it. There will be time for exercise later, but for now, I'm all about the Whoopie Pie.

Whoopie Pies Recipe

I suggest making the pies a bit smaller since a few of mine came out very large and were difficult to handle. The mounds of batter spread in the oven, so be sure to leave enough room in between. Cool completely before filling with buttercream.

Instead of the suggested buttercream filling, I used a very simple recipe for buttercream as follows:

Simple Buttercream Filling

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 T milk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t salt

In the bowl of a mixer, beat softened butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and salt and continue mixing for about two minutes. Add vanilla and milk and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. If the filling is too thick, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. If the filling is too thin, add powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

Let cookies cool completely before spreading a generous dollop of buttercream on one half and gently pressing another half on top. Store at room temperature for up to three days if they last that long.



Cookie Press Review
Wow. These are so decadent and delicious. I'm not even sure I would classify them as a cookie. These pies are more like the best cupcake I've ever had in my life. The sea salt adds just a hint of salty flavor while the chocolate cake combines with the buttercream to create a perfect storm of sweetness. This is one guilty pleasure in which I was glad to indulge.

Cookie press rating: 4 1/2 cookies (out of five)

Poppy Seed Thumbprints

I was paging through a cookie cookbook, looking for my next cookie for the blog and these poppy seed thumbprints caught my eye. They're colorful, fairly easy to make and are sure to drive away those winter blues.

I made a quick trip to the store to buy (what else) poppy seeds! The dough came together quickly, as I mixed the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in quick succession. The flour and poppy seeds are added to the dough in two equal parts, and mixed until just combined. In fact, too much mixing will make the dough oily as poppy seeds are high in fat.

The most difficult part of the whole process is to ensure that the thumbprints stay intact during the baking process. You'll need a bit of patience to achieve good thumbprints. After the initial baking, remove the pan from the oven and reshape the cookies that have spread by pressing the edges of the cookie gently with the back of a spoon while they are still hot. Then gently re-press the thumbprints before adding the jam. This process worked well.

One final word of warning about these cookies. Don't eat too many or you'll end up failing a drug test just like in the Seinfeld episode where Elaine tests positive for opium after she eats too many poppy seeds.

Poppy Seed Thumbprint Cookies (adapted from Carole Walter's Great Cookies cookbook)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 t vanilla
Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk in poppy seeds and set aside.


Flour with poppy seeds
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix butter on medium-low speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until just combined. Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix until just blended, being careful not to over mix. Stir in dry ingredients in two additions, mixing until each is just combined. Dough will become oily if mixed too much.

Roll dough into balls about 1 1/4 inches each and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Use a wooden spoon handle, make a deep indentation into each cookie. Roll handle to widen the indentation slightly.


Roll tip of wooden spoon gently to make thumbprints.
Bake for 10 minutes, remove cookies and re-press each indentation. Gently reshape cookie if necessary with the back of a spoon. Fill centers with preserves being careful not to overfill.

Bake again for 4 to 5 minutes longer, or until cookies are golden brown. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container layered between wax paper.

Cookie Press Review:

I wasn't too sure about these cookies at first but they grew on me. My tasters absolutely loved them. I couldn't get any of my tasters to say anything remotely negative about the cookies even after dropping a few hints. The poppy seeds add a surprising crunch to the cookie and a nice flavor as well. The dollop of jam adds a perfect touch both in looks and in taste.

Cookie press rating: 4 (out of five)

Pecan Biscotti

I don't know about you, but I like to dip crunchy cookies into tea or milk and then gobble them down just before they start to disintegrate and fall to the bottom of my cup. Most often the cookie that fits the bill is biscotti. If you like to improvise when you bake, you'll like making biscotti. Once you get the wet and dry ingredients mixed, feel free to add various kinds of nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries and extracts. As my mother always says, "whatever floats your boat." I wouldn't go hog wild by adding many varieties of nuts or flavorings in a single batch. Remember when you mixed too many paint colors in elementary school and ended up with an ugly brown? That's what will happen here. You'll have too many competing flavors and a cookie that will be ready for the trash can.

Biscotti literally means twice cooked in Italian and that's exactly what you do. It's easiest to make biscotti using a food processor. If you don't have one you could always use one of those pesky Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons that clog your mailbox. Head over to the Beyond department and treat yourself.

If you don't want to invest in a food processor, you can still make biscotti. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well mixed and then add the wet ingredients.

This recipe for pecan biscotti is adapted from the book, got milk? the cookie book, by Peggy Cullen. This book has great photos and many wonderful cookie recipes. It also provides the basics of cookie making and troubleshooting tips in an easy and fun format.

Pecan Biscotti

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 t sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 stick cold, unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (toast on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, shaking pan once or twice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly with butter.

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine flour with 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse about five times to blend the dry ingredients. Cut butter into small cubes and add to dry ingredients. Pulse 10 to 15 times in one second intervals until butter pieces are very small, but still visible.

In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients. Pulse a few more times to blend. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (whole or pieces) and pulse about three to five more times. Tip: don't chop the nuts too finely or they will disappear in the dough and you want some large pieces to remain. Dough should be moist and even in color.

Turn dough out onto table and gather into one ball, making sure to moisten any dry spots by using the heel of your hand to mix dough. Divide dough into two equal parts.

Form each into a 12 inch log. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet, leaving ample room for each to spread as they bake. Flatten logs so each is about 2 inches wide. Sprinkle logs with a mixture of cinnamon sugar (1/4 t cinnamon and 1 t granulated sugar).


Baked logs


Cut log


Back in the oven

Bake for 30 minutes. Log should begin to turn golden. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes. Leave oven on.

Transfer logs to a cutting board. Using a large, sharp knife (a chef's knife works well), cut each log crosswise on a diagonal, each piece 1/2 inch thick. It's important not to let the logs cool too much or it will be impossible to cut the cookies without major crumbling. Arrange cookies cut side up on the baking sheets and bake 7 to 10 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown slightly. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely and harden on baking sheet.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.


Cookie Press Review

I'm a huge fan of these crunchy, cinnamony, pecany, cookies. Full of flavor, I could eat them by the dozen (and have!). These are adult cookies. I doubt kids would find them too satisfying since they are not overly sweet.

Cookie press rating: 4 cookies (out of five)

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Valentine's Day is just a few days away and many of you are probably fretting over whether to buy flowers, chocolates or fine jewelry to celebrate this made-up holiday to fill the retail void between Christmas and Easter.

Ben Bernanke would probably not like me for saying this. But this year, why don't you just buy a card and make a nice home-cooked meal complete with a selection of home baked cookies? Skip trying to jump-start this dreadful economy and save some money for something important, like your cable bill.

I decided to make classic shortbread cookies to celebrate Valentine's Day. They're decadent and extra delicious when dipped in dark chocolate. I used Green & Black's organic dark chocolate with 85% cocoa content. The package reads "our darkest chocolate made with fine Trinitario cocoa beans." I'm not sure what a Trinitario cocoa bean is, but it sure sounds delicious. After dipping a bunch of cookies in chocolate I decided to channel my inner Jackson Pollock and drip chocolate as if I were creating a museum quality masterpiece.

This recipe is very easy to make. The most time-consuming part of making the cookies is chilling the dough before you roll it and again once the cookies are cut out.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 sifted confectioners sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 t canola oil or vegetable shortening

In the bowl of a mixer cream butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Split dough in two pieces and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm (2 hours or overnight).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 300 degrees with rack in center of oven. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, around 16 minutes. Check after 10 minutes since baking time varies due to thickness of cookies.

Let rest on pan for 1 or 2 minutes before removing cookies to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. A double boiler works best. Stir in the oil. When chocolate has cooled slightly, dip 1/3 to 1/2 of each cookie into the chocolate. Transfer cookies to wax paper or parchment and freeze for 10 minutes until chocolate hardens.

Cookie Press Review

I like everything about these cookies. They look festive without being gaudy, are easy to make, and even easier to eat. The bittersweet chocolate really makes this cookie a standout. Share them with your sweetheart and guarantee yourself a Happy Valentine's Day!

Cookie press rating: 4 cookies (out of five)

Madras Cookies

I've heard of curry in a hurry, but curry in a cookie is news to me. I like curry dishes when ordered at my favorite East Village restaurant, Banjara (on First and Sixth Streets). I figured it's time for me to try curry in a cookie so I headed for my cookie bible, Great Cookies, by cookie maven Carole Walter. This book is a must for the serious cookie baker. I'm suddenly inspired to bake my way through the book blogging all the way. Oh wait, that's been done before. Do you think Nora Ephron has any interest for a slightly sweeter version of Julie and Julia? I thought not.

And now, without further adieu, I bring you the recipe for Madras Cookies.

Madras Cookies

2 t mild curry powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unblanched almonds + additional for the top of each cookie
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened slightly
1 t grated orange zest from one orange
2/3 c sugar
2/3 c lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 c chopped sweetened, flaked coconut

Heat curry powder in a small skillet over low heat for 20 - 30 seconds until fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Place the flour, 1 cup almonds, curry powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 10 times, then process for 1 minute until mixture is very finely chopped and cake-like. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and orange zest on medium-low speed until light and creamy. Add the sugar, then brown sugar and mix for about 12 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing until just blended after each addition. Turn mixer off and fold in coconut. Chill dough for 20 - 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Heat oven to 375 degrees and moderately butter cookie sheets. You can probably use parchment paper instead of greasing or buttering the cookie sheets.



Roll the dough to form 1/2 to 3/4 inch balls and place on sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently press a whole almond into the top of each cookie, using the heel of your hand to flatten the cookie slightly. Try pressing a few blanched, slivered almonds on top instead of a whole almond to vary the look.


Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. If baking 2 pans at once, be sure to rotate the pans from top to bottom, front to back. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 or 3 minutes before removing cookies to cooling racks.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks or carefully wrapped and frozen.

Cookie Press Review

I have to admit that I expected to dislike these cookies. I was wrong. The cookies are uniquely flavorful without being overpowering. In fact, most of my tasters could not detect the curry until I told them. A few thought I was lying. Many tasted a slight orange and cinnamon flavor. Overall, the cookies were a surprise hit. I even keep a small tin in my desk drawer for a late afternoon snack.

Cookie press rating: 3 1/2 cookies (out of five)