Fudging the Books (30 page)

From Jenna:

This recipe is from Coco’s very first cookbook. She got it from her
bunica
, her grandmother. Katie made them for me, and I adored them. The browned butter adds a nice nutty flavor. The coffee adds a delicious zing. These would be perfect for a care package gift. They are definitely recommended for your next book club. By the way, if you’d like to make these cookies gluten-free, substitute out the regular flour for your favorite gluten-free flour (Katie tells me a good combo is sweet rice flour mixed with tapioca starch), and add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the gluten-free flour mixture.

Coco’s Chocolate Cookies

(makes 24 to 30 cookies)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned

2½ cups flour

1 tablespoon brewed coffee

1¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1¼ cups dark brown sugar

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups dark chocolate chips

In a sauté pan, heat the 2 sticks of butter on medium low for a few minutes until the butter froths up and turns golden brown. Don’t let it overcook. Burned butter is NOT good. Turn off the heat and allow the butter to cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the flour, coffee, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside. (If you are making this gluten-free, this is where you would substitute out the regular flour, and add xanthan gum.)

In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine cooled browned butter and brown sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and satiny.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture until all the flour is mixed in.

Pour in the dark chocolate chips and stir until combined. This will be a thick mixture, like any chocolate chip cookie recipe. Refrigerate the dough for a half hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

On a cutting board, roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, about the size of large walnuts. Place the balls on the cookie sheet. Set them 1 inch apart because they will spread. Press down slightly until flattened.

Bake the cookies for 13–15 minutes (know your oven), until the cookies are slightly browned.

Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack or to paper towels to completely cool.

From Cinnamon:

I’m learning to bake. Step-by-step, sort of like Jenna. These are so easy to make. Just a few ingredients, just a few steps. Delicious, easy. I told a friend who needs to eat gluten-free about them, and she went ballistic with joy! Bailey’s mom, Lola, who has been coaching me in the kitchen, recommended that I use the best cocoa possible. I used Penzeys, which is really rich, in my humble opinion. Enjoy! And stay safe!

Cinnamon Chocolate Meringues

(naturally gluten-free)

(makes 24 to 30 cookies)

1 pound powdered sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

½ teaspoon salt

4 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1½ cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites, vanilla, and cinnamon to a gentle froth. Add the egg whites mixture to the sugar-cocoa mixture. Stir with a spoon. Then fold in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, about 1–2 inches apart onto the parchment paper. They will spread and merge into one another a bit, so beware.

Bake 13–14 minutes. They will look glossy and crackly. Do not overbake. Let the cookies cool on cookie sheets for a couple of minutes, then carefully transfer to paper towels or wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

From Jenna:

Yet again, how easy can this be? So few ingredients. These are light, delicate cookies, perfect for a luncheon or tea and absolutely divine for a wedding. Do any of you have wedding bells in your future?

White Chocolate Macaroons

(makes 5 dozen)

5 egg whites, room temperature

¾ cup ground almonds

5¼ cups flaked coconut, toasted, divided (*see below)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1⅓ cups sugar

6 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped

Bring the egg whites to room temperature. This takes about 30 minutes.

Grind the almonds and set aside. [I used my food processor.]

To toast the coconut, lay parchment paper on a 15-by-9-inch jelly roll pan. Spread the coconut on the parchment paper and toast in a slow oven, 300ºF, for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Set aside ¼ cup of the toasted coconut for garnish.

Meanwhile, place the egg whites in a large bowl. Add vanilla extract. Beat the mixture on medium until soft peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar on high, until stiff glossy peaks form, about 4–6 minutes. Gradually fold in 5 cups of the toasted coconut and ground almonds.

Line the jelly roll pan again with a new sheet of parchment paper. Drop the mixture by rounded tablespoons full, 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies at 275ºF for 20–25 minutes, until firm to the touch. Remove the cookies to wire racks or paper towels to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate, at half power, for about 30 seconds at a time until it can be easily stirred. Do not over-zap.

Spoon ¼ teaspoon of melted white chocolate onto each cookie. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted coconut. Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour, until chocolate is set. Store in airtight container.

From Katie:

These croutons are so simple. They dress up any salad. My favorite is a green salad with a simple olive oil–vinegar dressing. You can doll up the salad even more if you add some orange slices dipped in melted chocolate.

Cocoa Brioche Croutons

(serves 4)

4 slices brioche, crusts removed and cut into cubes

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons high-quality cocoa powder

1 tablespoon powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the cubed brioche in a bowl.

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the brioche cubes and toss until well coated.

Place the brioche cubes on a shallow 15-by-9-inch jelly roll pan. Toast the cubes in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a large bowl.

When the croutons come out of the oven, toss them immediately with the powdered mixture and season with salt. The croutons should be served warm on top of a crisp salad.

From Jenna:

This is so easy to make. It’s Katie’s recipe, but I’m the one plugging it, because according to my father, it was one of my mother’s favorite desserts. Rich, decadent. This was one of the desserts she made regularly when having guests for dinner.

Bailey’s Irish Cream Pie

(serves 6)

28 Oreo cookies

½ stick of butter (4 tablespoons) melted

1 cup milk chocolate chips

8 ounces cream cheese

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

1 good quality chocolate bar, frozen [I use Ghirardelli]

In a food processor, crush the Oreo cookies until they are fine crumbs. Dump the crumbs into a large mixing bowl and mix in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Cover the dish and chill for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in the microwave, set on medium to medium-low, melt the chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir and, if necessary, heat for another 30 seconds. You do NOT want the chocolate to overcook. Set the melted chocolate aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes using an electric mixer. Scoop out the cream cheese and reserve in a smaller bowl. Then in the same mixing bowl whip the heavy cream and ½ cup of the Bailey’s Irish Cream until the cream forms stiff peaks. Now fold in the
melted chocolate, the reserved whipped cream cheese, and the remaining ½ cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie dish.