The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (34 page)

PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

A generous amount of butter, plus ground nuts, is what makes these cookies so rich and special.

Baked until golden brown and crisp, these delectable little cakes could be served accompanied
simply by glasses of iced coffee for dessert or offered as a garnish to sorbets or ice creams or
sliced watermelon.

MAKES 16 COOKIES

1
cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/8
teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

8
tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and diced

½
cup pecans, toasted
(see page 15)
and coarsely ground, plus 16 pecan halves, untoasted, for garnish
¼
cup sugar

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Have ready 1 or 2

large ungreased baking sheets.

Sift 1 cup flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 table knives until butter is coated with flour but still in chunks. Rub butter into dry ingredients with fingertips, until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps.

Add ground pecans, sugar, and vanilla to bowl and mix well. Gather dough into a mass, and then knead on a work surface several times until smooth. Shape into a ball and flatten into a disk. Place a large sheet of waxed paper on a work surface and flour lightly. Place dough in center and cover with another large sheet of waxed paper. Roll dough into a circle ¼ to ⅜ inch thick. Using a 2-inch fluted or plain cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can and transfer to the ungreased baking sheet.

Reshape and roll out dough again to same thickness, and cut out more cookies. Continue until all the dough is used. You should get 16 cookies. Press a pecan half in the center of each cookie top.

Cover cookies on baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap and bake until cookies are lightly browned on bottom and top, 25 to 28 minutes.

Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. (Cookies can be baked 2

days ahead.)

CHOCOLATE HEAVEN COOKIES

A small amount of flour and a very short baking time are what make these cookies unique and
worthy of their name. Only ½ cup of flour is called for, and the cookies are in the oven for just 10

minutes. This yields cookies with firm, crackly exteriors and moist, fudgy centers that taste, as the
name implies, “heavenly.” Serve these addictive morsels alone or offer them as a garnish to fresh
berries or ice cream.

MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES

½
cup all-purpose flour

½
teaspoon baking powder

¼
teaspoon salt

6
ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into chunks

4
tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, diced

2
large eggs

1
teaspoon instant coffee powder or crystals

1
cup sugar

½
cup (about 3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

½
cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Arrange an oven rack at lower position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (Do not omit the parchment paper, which is essential to this recipe to keep the cookies from sticking.)

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In the top of a double boiler (or in a heat-proof bowl) set over but not touching simmering water, stir chocolate and butter constantly until mixture is smooth and shiny, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and powdered coffee with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30

seconds. Gradually add sugar and beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and pale yellow in color, about 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, beat in melted chocolate mixture, then flour mixture. Remove from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.

Drop the batter by generous teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, 9 to 10 minutes. Cookies will look cracked and shiny on the outside and may not appear to be set. Remove from oven and let cookies cool to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely. Repeat until all cookies are baked.

Store cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature. (They can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

“Cookie” comes from the Dutch word
kookje,
a diminutive form of
koek,
which means
cake.

DEB BARRETT’S CHOCOLATE ORANGE

BISCOTTI

Several years ago at the end of a cooking class I taught in New Jersey, an assistant, Deb Barrett,
gave me a small bag of homemade biscotti. I took one bite and knew I was in for a treat. The
Italian word
biscotti
translates as “twice cooked,” and these delectable cookies—a blend of crisp,
golden baked dough studded with bits of chocolate, pecans, and orange peel—are baked two times,
once in log shapes, then in slices. They are especially good served with ice creams or sorbets.

Stored in an airtight container, they keep well for several days.

MAKES ABOUT 40 BISCOTTI

8
tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

¾
cup sugar

2
large eggs

2
tablespoons Grand Marnier

1
tablespoon grated orange zest

2
cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½
teaspoons baking powder

¼
teaspoon salt

1
cup lightly toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
(see page 15)

6
ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4

minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in orange liqueur and zest.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. On low speed, add flour mixture to egg mixture, and beat until flour is incorporated. Remove and stir in pecans and chocolate by hand.

Divide dough in half and place both halves on a plate. Freeze uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes, until chilled.

Place half of the dough on the baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a log 14 inches long, 2½ inches wide, and ¾ inch thick. Repeat with other half of dough, leaving 2 inches or more between the logs.

Bake logs until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove and transfer logs, still on parchment, from baking sheet to a rack. Cool 20 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

When cool, place logs on a cutting board and return parchment to baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut each log diagonally into slices ½ inch thick. Place slices upright on the baking sheet, leaving ½-inch spaces between them. Bake 20 to 23 minutes more to dry biscotti slightly. Cool biscotti on racks.

Store biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature. (Biscotti can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

CONGO BARS

A neighbor shared the recipe for these bars with me and also offered some of the history
surrounding these golden blonde brownies studded with chocolate chips. She explained that in the
Boston area, these little confections were often brought to potluck suppers at the First
Congregational Church, thus the “Congo” in the name. There are many variations of these bars.

Sometimes the chocolate chips are used as a glaze on top, and occasionally chopped nuts are
added to the batter. The recipe that follows is among the simplest and best I have encountered.

MAKES 32 BARS

10
tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing pan
2¼
cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring baking pan

2
teaspoons baking powder

1/8
teaspoon salt

1
16-ounce box light brown sugar

3
large eggs

12
ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate chips (see note)

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan generously, then dust with flour. Shake out any excess.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add sugar, stirring until dissolved and mixture is smooth. Let mixture cool 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in dry ingredients and finally chocolate chips. The chips may start to melt slightly; that is okay. Scrape batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Cut into 32 squares. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature. (Bars can be prepared 3 days ahead.)

NOTE:
Ghirardelli’s Double Dark Chocolate Chips, available in many

supermarkets, are particularly good in these bars. They are intensely chocolate in flavor and slightly larger than regular chips.

CARAMEL ALMOND SQUARES

These rich nut-laden squares are composed of a buttery baked crust that is topped with a toasted
almond caramel mixture. The almond squares can easily stand on their own as a backyard dessert
or they could be offered as a garnish to bowls of vanilla or peach ice cream.

MAKES 16 SQUARES

CRUST

8
tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and diced, plus extra for greasing baking pan
1
cup all-purpose flour

3
tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

TOPPING

2
ounces regular or reduced-fat (not nonfat) cream cheese at room temperature
¼
cup heavy cream

¾
cup sugar

3
tablespoons unsalted butter

1¾
cups slivered almonds, toasted
(see page 15)

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan generously and set aside.

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Combine flour and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor. Add butter, then pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. (Alternatively, by hand, cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender or 2 table knives.) Remove mixture from processor and knead gently until it holds together and forms a solid mass. Press dough into an even layer in the prepared pan.

Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Whisk together cream cheese and cream in a small bowl until smooth and blended, and set aside. Combine sugar and 6 tablespoons water in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil, without stirring, until syrup turns a rich golden brown color, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in cream cheese and cream. Be very careful, since mixture will bubble vigorously. Whisk in butter, then mix in almonds. Pour filling over crust. Spread evenly with a metal spatula or table knife. Let stand at room temperature until cool and set, at least 1 hour.

When set, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container. (Squares can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE TOFFEE

SQUARES

These tempting little pick-ups are simple to prepare. A sweet butter crust is spread with a thin
layer of dark chocolate, sprinkled with chopped pecans and toffee bits, then baked, and cut into
squares. No last-minute work is involved since these chocolate-nut confections can be made up to
3 days in advance.

MAKES 24 SQUARES

16
tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1
cup packed light brown sugar

1
large egg yolk

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

Generous ¼ teaspoon salt

2
cups all-purpose flour, sifted

8
ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks

2
tablespoons whole milk

¾
cup toffee bits (see note)

¾
cup coarsely chopped pecans

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use some of the butter to grease a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth, 1 minute. Gradually add sugar, and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl if necessary. On medium speed, beat in egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Lower speed, and add flour.

Beat just until mixture holds together well. Pat dough in an even layer into prepared pan.

Place chocolate in top of double boiler (or in a heat-proof bowl) set over but not touching simmering water. Stir until chocolate is smooth and shiny, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove 2 tablespoons of the chocolate to a small microwaveable bowl and whisk in milk. Set aside.

With a metal spatula or dinner knife, spread remaining melted chocolate over dough in pan.

Sprinkle toffee bits, then pecans, over chocolate. Bake until toffee melts and nuts are slightly toasted, about 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack.

Reheat reserved chocolate mixture in microwave or place bowl in a skillet filled with about 1

inch of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Using a teaspoon, drizzle chocolate over the baked crust.

Cool until chocolate glaze is set, about 1 hour. Using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares. (Squares can be prepared 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature.)
NOTE:
Hershey’s Skor brand Bits o’ Brickle work well in this recipe. Do not use chocolate-coated toffee bits.