cookies

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Persian Love Cookies

A buttery and tender shortbread cookie made with lemon zest, cardamom, rose water and pistachios, dipped in white chocolate and topped with edible dried rose petals and chopped pistachios

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time17 mins

Chill1 hr

Course: Dessert

Servings: -24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (60g) confectioner's sugar
zest of 1 lemon
¼ – ½ teaspoon rose water See notes above.
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ¼ cup (306g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ cup (57g) chopped pistachios
1 cup (170g) white chocolate chips or wafers
Chopped pistachios, for sprinkling
Dried rose petals, for sprinkling

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter, confectioners sugar and beat together on medium speed until creamy and combined.
Beat in the vanilla and rose water.
Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
Turn the dough out onto some cling film. Press the dough together, forming a disc shape, about an inch in height. Wrap the dough with the cling film and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Dust your work surface with flour. Roll out your cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the desired shapes and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches in between the cookies.
Place the cooking sheets into the refrigerator to chill for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F while the cookies are chilling.
Once the cookies are properly chilled, bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn a light golden brown.
Let cool completely on the cookie sheets or on a cooling rack.
Place the white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl.
Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave until the chocolate has melted.
Dip the cookies into the white chocolate.
Before the chocolate is set, sprinkle with chopped pistachios and top with edible rose petals. Let the chocolate dry, then serve.

Red Velvet Macarons

June 3, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

These red velvet macarons were one of my most popular and requested flavors when they were on the menu at TLVBC. Wedding guests LOVED them. These macarons are the best flavors of a red velvet cake packed into a delicate, delicious and impressive sandwich cookie. Crispy exterior with a chewy texture, these macaron shells are flavored with a hint of cocoa and filled with a tangy cream cheese frosting that is familiar in red velvet cake from the buttermilk and the cream cheese frosting. With my easy to follow directions and with a little patience and practice, you will be whipping up these macarons time and time again.

What are macarons?

Macarons are the (in my personal opinion) THE quintessential French cookie; a sandwich cookie with two almond flour based cookies with a filling. Macarons are known for their distinct shape of a rounded top with “feet”. This is the ruffled edge at the bottom of the cookie. Macaron shells should be smooth on top and full and not hollow inside. This indicates that they have been baked properly. Fillings options are limitless for macarons. Buttercream, ganache, jam, cookie butters, you name it. Macaron fillings can virtually any flavor you would like. And bonus, my red velvet macarons are naturally gluten free.

Red Velvet Macaron Ingredients

Almond Flour – Finely ground blanched almond flour is the only flour used in macarons. Alternatively, in case of allergies, other nuts can be used in place of almonds, such as pistachio or macadamias. Be sure that your almond flour is finely ground. Avoid almond meal as it is coarse and can have bits of almond skin. This makes for bumpy and dull macaron shell.

Confectioner’s Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar is used to add sweetness to the macarons, and is used for it’s fine texture. It also thickens the batter along with the almond flour. Be sure to use a commercial brand of confectioner’s sugar as they typically have cornstarch which can help in preventing hollowness in the mac shells.

Cocoa Powder – A small amount of cocoa powder is added to the mac shells for a slight cocoa flavor, like red velvet cake.

Egg Whites – Egg whites are the star of the macaron show. Fresh egg whites are best for this recipe. I don’t recommend carton whites as they don’t whip up quite the same and due to the preservatives that vary by brand, they are unpredictable. Take care to make sure that absolutely no egg yolks (fat) end up with the whites. The fat will prevent the eggs from whipping to stiff peaks.

Granulated Sugar – If you are able to get superfine or caster sugar, opt for those. Since caster sugar is not as commonly used in America, you can also use granulated sugar. Sifting the sugar will remove any large pieces. Sugar keeps the meringue stable so that egg whites don’t collapse.

Salt – Adding a pinch of salt to the macarons helps distinguish flavors and also helps by seemingly “reducing” the sweetness.

Cream of Tartar – Cream of tartar helps to stabilize and strengthen the egg whites, and also aids in preventing egg whites from collapsing.

Gel Food Color – For that perfect red velvet color, adding red gel food color is the best option for a deep and/or bright red color. Avoid liquid color as it can change the consistency of the batter.

Equipment

Stand or Hand Mixer – You’re going to need an electric mixer to achieve those stiff peaks. Doing it by hand would take a very long time and require a lot ( A LOT) of whisking.

Baking Sheet and Parchment Paper – Nothing fancy or special needed here. A standard half sheet baking pan works well. I prefer to use parchment baking paper over silicone mats, as I like how the macs look and bake better on parchment. But you can use either.

Piping bag and tips – To make your macs uniform in size and shape, you will want to use a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. I use a Wilton 1A or 2A tip.

Fine Mesh Sieve – Don’t skip out on sifting the dry ingredients. Removing larges pieces of almond and sugar makes for the smoothest and shiniest macaron texture.

Kitchen Scale – I know, I know, I say this all the time, but baking is an exact science. Sure you have some wiggle room in some recipes, but macarons aren’t one of them. Investing in a kitchen scale will level up your baking and set you up for success. I use this scale.

How to make red velvet macarons

Before you begin making the macarons, prepare the ingredients. Leave the egg whites out to sit at room temperature in the bowl of a stand mixer for 30 minutes. Place the granulated sugar, salt and cream of tartar in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Sift and discard any large pieces.

In a separate bowl, sift together the almond flour, confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder. Discard the large pieces.

Beat with the whisk attachment until the eggs are foamy, then whisk in the sugar/salt/cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks form. This means that the egg whites will stick straight up when you pull the whisk out of the whites. They will be thick and glossy.

Whisk in the gel color. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the almond flour mixture. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that is ok. The batter is ready when it “ribbons”, which means it falls off the batter in a stream. You should be able to make a “8” with the batter falling off the spatula. This means the batter is ready. You’re looking for about 50-75 folds. Check for the ribboning after every 15-20 seconds. You don’t want to over mix.

Pour the mixture into a prepared piping bag and pipe 1 1/2″ rounds on the parchment. You can also find macaron piping guide templates online if you need them. Just print them off and place the guides under the parchment and pipe over the parchment.

Firmly tap the pans 2-3 times on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. Let the macs sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to set. They’re ready to baked when the tops are slightly tacky and you can touch them without batter sticking to your fingers. Sitting out helps to create the macaron feet so that the macarons bake upwards and don’t spread outwards.

Bake for 20 minutes. The macs will be set, risen and have little ruffly feet around the bottom. Let the macs dry before removing them from the parchment. Fully baked, they will be easy to remove from the parchment.

While the macs cool, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt and vanilla on medium speed until lightened in color and texture, about 8 minutes. Pipe a small amount of filling on half the baked and cooled mac shells. Place a shell on top of the filling, pushing down gently to push the filling to the edges.

Tips for Macaron success

Humidity is the worst. It’s harder to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, and the not easy to achieve an even bake and feet because the skin doesn’t form while they’re resting. I typically don’t bake any meringue based desserts if humidity is over 50-55%. If you absolutely must bake macs, try putting a dehumidifier in your kitchen and that will help a bit.

Macarons require precision to ensure that they bake properly. This recipe is tried and true and should be followed exactly as written for successful macarons.

Practice makes perfect. It’s completely normal to have some macaron fails from time to time. Just don’t give up and keep practicing. They’re totally worth it.

Fat prevents egg whites from whipping up properly. Fat residue can remain in plastic bowls even after washing them. Use glass or stainless steel bowls. For extra security, wipe down your bowl and whisk attachment with lemon juice or vinegar to ensure no fat remains.

You can also check to ensure the egg whites are stiff enough by turning the bowl upside down. They should be so stiff they don’t fall out.

If you make these red velvet macarons, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more cookie recipes, check out these posts:

Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Cookies

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Red Velvet Macarons

Crispy exterior with a chewy texture, these macaron shells are flavored with a hint of cocoa and filled with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting Time30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: sandwiches

Ingredients

Macaron Shells

90 grams large egg whites (about 3 egg whites)
60 grams superfine, caster or granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon red gel food color
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
150 grams confectioner's sugar
120 grams finely ground almond flour

Cream Cheese Filling

2 tablespoons (29g) unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup (56g) cream cheese
1 cup (114g) confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

Macaron Shells

Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in medium size bowl, sift together the superfine sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Discard any large pieces of sugar left. Set bowl aside.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar and almond flour. Discard any large pieces of almond remaining. Set the bowl aside.
Line half baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, about 8 minutes or so.
Add the granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt mixture.
Whip the egg white mixture until stiff peaks form. The meringue will stand up straight when the whisk is removed. The egg white mixture will be thick and glossy.
Whisk in the red gel color.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and folding in the almond flour mixture. The egg whites will deflate a bit and that is ok. The batter is ready when it "ribbons", which means it falls off the batter in a stream. You should be able to make a "8" with the batter falling off the spatula. This means the batter is ready. You're looking for about 50-75 folds. Check for the ribboning after every 15-20 seconds.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton 1A or 2A) and pipe 1 1/2" rounds on the parchment paper. See my notes in "How to Make Red Velvet Macarons" for information on size templates.
Firmly tap the pans on the counter 2-3 times to remove air bubbles. Let the macarons sit until just slightly tacky, but no batter comes off on your fingers, about 30-60 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 300F. Bake the macarons for 20 minutes. Cool on the sheet pan for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filling

While the macarons are cooling, make the cream cheese filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and salt.
Mix on low until the sugar is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and whip until lightened in texture and color, about 8 minutes.
Spoon the cream cheese filling into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip ( I used a Wilton 2A).
Once cool, flip half of the macaron shells over. Pipe a mound of cream cheese in the center of the shells.
Place the remaining macaron shells on top of the cookies with filling and squeeze gently, until the filling just reaches the edges.

Notes

Red velvet macarons can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Gingerbread Cookie Wreath Tutorial

December 10, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Not only can you legit eat the cookies off of this wreath, but you can hang it up as an actual wreath! I am so excited to share my gingerbread cookie wreath tutorial with you. Of course you know I absolutely love creating edible art, so I LOVED making this wreath. It’s currently hanging up in my house. Some cookies missing, of course, because little hands found out that she could eat this wreath. This wreath makes for a beautiful gift, a great addition to holiday decor and also looks beautiful as a centerpiece. It’s totally a project that can be done with the kiddos or as a family. So fun, and so delicious.

The gingerbread cookies

Gingerbread cookies are so full of flavor and warming spices, what is there not to love? These gingerbread cookies don’t spread in the oven, and no chilling is required before baking. Because the cookies have molasses in them, the dough can be a bit sticky. I like to roll the cookies out on a silicone baking mat. I cover the dough in parchment, then roll them out. Be sure to liberally flour your surface, and check occasionally to make sure they’re not sticking. I keep my bench scraper handy to lift up the dough and add more flour as needed.

Decorating the gingerbread cookies

This gingerbread cookie wreath is easily adaptable to other cookie shapes and icing colors. I have different Christmas cookie cutters, but I default to snowflakes all. the. time. They’re my favorite. This wreath would look adorable with ornament cookies. Star of David cookies would be amazing for a Hanukah wreath.

I used a variety of decorating methods for my gingerbread cookies. I used these cutters and this cutter for the snowflakes. I cut out some snowflakes that I left entirely undecorated to be used as a foundation layer on the wreath. Those cookies get coated with confectioners sugar.

For the cut out designs, I used a small tear drop shaped cutter from this cutter set and a #3 piping tip for the small holes. I used the smallest cutter in the snowflake cutter set to cut out the centers for the stained glass cookie technique. For some royal icing snowflake techniques, check out my sugar cookie post here.

For the stained glass cookie technique, you will need Jolly Ranchers, or another hard (not sugar free) candy. Place the desired colors into individual zip top bags. Cover the bags with a kitchen towel, and use a rolling pin to smash them into very small pieces. I suppose you could use a food processor, but where’s the fun in that? #2020

Fill the cut out areas with the Jolly Rancher pieces until it’s filled almost flush with the cookie.

Only a few supplies are needed for the gingerbread cookie wreath. Gingerbread cookies (recipe below), royal icing, a 12″ wood floral ring (I got mine from Michaels Craft Store, and it is the Ashland brand.), Press and Seal, and a festive ribbon for hanging.

How to make the gingerbread cookie wreath

To make the wreath form food safe, cut strips of Press and Seal and wrap tightly around the form, leaving one of the holes in the form accessible for the ribbon.

Cut a length of ribbon (as long as you would like for hanging it) and thread it through the hole of the frame.

Lay down the first (foundation) layer of cookies. I used solid cut out snowflake cookies with no additional decoration as my foundation cookies. “Glue” the cookies to the wreath form with royal icing. Be generous with the royal as you want these cookies to really be stuck on there.

Place the wreath onto a piece of parchment paper, and using a small sieve, dust the foundation cookies with confectioner’s sugar. It give the cookies a snowy appearance.

Glue the decorated cookies onto the wreath form, staggering them and alternating designs. Glue down the larger cookies with royal icing first, followed by smaller cookies to fill in any gaps. You want to conceal as much of the frame as you can.

If desired, tie a bow around the ribbon hanger.

Let the wreath dry overnight. The royal icing glue needs to dry completely or the cookies will slide off.

I hope you love this gingerbread wreath tutorial as much as I do. If you make it, I’d LOVE to know! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

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Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts

No spread gingerbread cut out cookies made with molasses and warm spices.

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

3 cups (360g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup (142g) light brown sugar
6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (170g) molasses

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth, fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg, followed by the vanilla extract, beating until just combined.
Add in the molasses, beating until just combined. Scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until the dough starts to form large clumpsÂ and no large pockets of flour remain.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface sprinkled lightly with flour. Divide the dough in two and pat the dough into two disc shapes.
Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough can become sticky as you work, so keep extra flour nearby to use as needed. You can roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper to prevent any sticking issues if you prefer.
Roll out the disc until 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough with cookie cutters. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
Place the cookies 2" apart on the baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for 10-12Â minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before decorating.

Pistachio Cherry Linzer Cookies

December 6, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Linzer cookies are a such a classic holiday cookie, and a staple to every cookie tray. We make variations of them every Christmas. Nutty, buttery cookies filled with our favorite jams, spreads and curds. This year, my pistachio cherry Linzer cookies will be making an appearance on our holiday cookie line up. Cherry preserves sandwiched between two pistachio cookies and topped with a fine dusting of confectioner’s sugar, these cookies are melt in your mouth delicious. Bonus that they’re also super pretty too.

What are linzer cookies?

Linzer cookies are a smaller spin off of the Austrian classic Linzertorte (if you haven’t had one they’re amazinggggg). These sandwich cookies are similar to a shortbread cookie made with ground nuts, traditionally almonds. The cookies are filled with fruit preserves, and topped with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. The hole in the top cookie exposes the preserves, gives them a stained glass look and mimics the lattice topping of a Linzertorte.

This Linzer cookie recipe uses ground pistachios, and cherry preserves, but these cookies are totally customizable. Use almonds, pecans, or your favorite nut, and pair the cookies with your favorite preserves or jams. Fruit curds, cookie butters, and dulce de leche make great fillings for Linzer cookies.

How to make Linzer cookies

These impressive looking cookies are actually quite easy to make. Butter and sugar are beaten together until light and fluffy. An egg yolk and vanilla extract are beaten in. Flour, cinnamon, and salt (if you’re using unsalted pistachios) are mixed in, followed by finely ground pistachios. I ground the pistachios in a food processor. While I ground them finely, I did leave a few coarse pieces in there for some extra crunch. I also used salted pistachios, so I omitted the salt. If you are using unsalted pistachios, add in the salt amount noted in the recipe.

The dough does need to chill for a bit to relax the dough and make them easier to roll out, about an hour. I used a 2 1/2″ scalloped edge round cutter, and a smaller 1″ cutter for the centers. Cut the centers out of half the cookie cut outs. Chill the cookies for an additional 20-30 minutes while preheating the oven.

Bake the cookies until light golden brown. Dust the cut out hole cookies with confectioner’s sugar. Spread 3/4 teaspoon of jam on each whole cookie. Carefully top each with a cut out hole cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich, but avoid getting fingerprints in your confectioner’s sugar.

These pistachio cherry Linzer cookies are so much fun to make. I love how the preserves peeking through the cookies looks like little glittering gems. Super pretty, easy to make and so delicious. If you make these cookies, let me know! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more cookie recipes, check out these posts:

Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

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Pistachio Cherry Linzer Cookies

Sweet and tart cherry preserves sandwiched between buttery and nutty pistachio Linzer cookies and topped with a dusting of confectioner's sugar

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Chill1 hr

Total Time1 hr 25 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: sandwich cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, Only use if using unsalted pistachios
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely ground pistachios

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt (if using) in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth, fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to ensure everything is combined.
Add the flour mixture and the ground pistachios and mix on low until combined. It will be crumbly at first, but will come together after a couple minutes of mixing. Stop mixing when large clumps have formed and there are no big pockets of flour.
Turn out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough may become sticky as you work, so keep extra flour nearby to use as needed. You can roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper to prevent any sticking issues if you wish.
Roll out the disc until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2½ inch scalloped cutter, cut the dough into circles. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. You should have 24 cookies.
Place the cookies 2" apart on the baking sheets.
Using a 1" round or scalloped cutter, cut a hole into the center of 12 of the cookies.
Place the cookies into the refrigerator to chill for an additional 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.
Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Place the cookies with the holes in them on a cookie sheet and sift confectioners' sugar over the top.
Spread 3/4 teaspoon of jam on each whole cookie. Carefully top each with a sugar dusted hole cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They can also be frozen unfilled for up to 2 months.

Florentine Bars

November 25, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Christmas baking has began in my house, and what better way to start the season off than with these truly magical Florentine bars. Flavored with honey and orange, these caramel and almond topped shortbread bars are so delicious and so very hard to eat just one. Drizzle the bars with dark chocolate, and they rival any candy bar. These bars would make a beautiful addition to any cookie box or gift. and they ship really well too.

What are Florentines?

Florentine cookies, or lace cookies as they are sometimes called, are typically filled with nuts, dried and candied fruits. They are usually dipped in chocolate, and can be fickle to make in their traditional form. Traditional Florentines are delicate, chewy, sticky and absolutely amazing. One of my favorite cookies. To make my Florentines a bit easier to make, and ship to family, I put my Florentine mixture on a thin shortbread crust. Crisp, chewy and sticky and delicious.

How to make the shortbread crust

The shortbread crust is easily made in a food processor (yay for shortcuts!) and pressed into a lined 8×8 square pan. My trick for getting flat and even crust is to push it in with the flat side of a bench scraper. For you weirdos like me that must have a perfect looking, even crust, this method is super satisfying and makes for a super flat crust. The crust is baked until lightly golden and cooled.

How to make the caramel topping

While the crust cools, the sugar, corn syrup, and water are combined and heated until amber in color. Butter and honey are added followed by cream. orange zest, vanilla and salt. Toasted, sliced almonds and any other dried or candied druit are mixed into the caramel. Glacé cherries, dried cranberries, figs, or candied oranges are so good in these bars. You can also use any nut you like. Hazelnuts would be delicious. When the nuts and fruit are mixed in, the caramel is spread over the cooled crust. The bars are baked until bubbly.

When the bars are cooled, they are cut into servings. Whilst baking, the caramel seeps down the side and coats the sides shortbread. Sometimes I cut off the outside edges of the bars (and I eat them, obvs) so that you can see the crust and topping, especially if I’m gifting these. Drizzle the bars with melted dark chocolate. Once the chocolate sets, the bars can be wrapped in parchment and tied off with twine or a decorative. Stack the wrapped bars in cookie boxes and they make a gorgeous gift.

If you make these Florentine bars, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more holiday cookie recipes, check out these posts:

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Florentine Bars

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: -12 servings

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

1 ¼ cups (210g) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold

Caramel Topping

3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (76ml) water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (84ml) honey
1/2 cup (114ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 cups (172g) sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup (70g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8x8 pan with two pieces of parchment paper which extend over the sides to give you a ‘"handles" (this helps with removing the slice easily once it is set).
In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse to combine.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture begins to form clumps.
Press the dough into the prepared pan, then level and smooth it with a bench press or measuring cup. Chill the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the shortbread is pale golden. Let cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Stir just to mix. Bring to a boil and heat until the mixture reaches 350F on a candy thermometer, or is amber in color.
Remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter and the honey. Be careful as it will steam and bubble.
Place back onto the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the heavy cream and the orange zest.
Cook the mixture until it reaches 250F on a candy thermometer.
Remove from the heat and add the almonds (and any other fruit or nuts you wish to add).
Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the shortbread crust, using a spatula to smooth out the mixture.
Bake the bars until the caramel begins to bubble, about 15-18 minutes.
Let the bars cool completely. Run a knife or spatula around the pan between the parchment and pan to loosen any caramel that may have escaped.
Remove the bars from the pan. Cut into bars or squares.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second increments until melted and smooth.
Transfer the chocolate to a piping bag or a zip top bag and drizzle the bars with chocolate. You can also drizzle the chocolate with a fork.
Let the chocolate firm up before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

November 3, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

I make tons of cookies. I’m always testing and trying new recipes. I won’t even start on how many cookies I make during Christmas. These espresso toffee chocolate chunk cookies are next level. When I made these and gave a couple to my husband to try, he said they were his new favorite cookie. He gave the rest of the cookies to one of his clients, who also said they were the best cookie they ever had. And I think I may agree with them. These cookies are so, so good. This is one recipe you want to make on repeat.

Made with brown butter, toffee bits, espresso, dark chocolate chunks and flaky salt, these cookies are sweet, salty, deeply flavored and highly addictive. They have chewy centers and crispy edges. Sounds like the perfect cookie to me.

Let’s talk ingredients

Toffee bits – These can be found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips, with or without chocolate. I used the toffee bits without chocolate.

Instant espresso powder gives these cookies a hint of coffee flavor. I use Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso.Use whatever brand of instant espresso or coffee that you enjoy best.

Bittersweet Chocolate – I recommend using good quality chocolate bars. They have much better flavor, and they make puddles of chocolate throughout the cookies. Just look at that chocolate in the photo below. So good.

Flaky Salt – I like to top many of my cookies and sweets with flaky salt. The salt balances out the sweet, and helps to define flavors. Not to mention salty sweet is an amazing combination.

How to make the cookies

Begin by browning half of the butter until deeply golden. Let the butter cool to room temperature, but not set. When the butter has cooled, beat together the other half of the butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add in the cooled brown butter and beat until light and fluffy. The eggs are added, followed by the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour, salt and baking soda until just mixed in. Fold in the toffee and chocolate chunks with a spatula. Sprinkle with flaky salt before or after baking.

Refrigerating and why it’s necessary

I know, I know. It’s far more fun to be able to bake the cookies right away. Cookie cravings are legit. But, these cookies taste so much better after being refrigerated overnight. Refrigerating the cookie dough allows the flavors to meld together and deepen. The dry ingredients soak up the wet ingredients so the dough becomes less wet and more concentrated. It’s totally worth it.

I hope you guys love these espresso toffee chocolate chunk cookies as much as we do. Tag me on Instagram if you make them!

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more cookie recipes, check out these posts:

Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Cookies

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

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Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Deeply flavored from brown butter and espresso, these cookies are filled with toffee bits, chocolate chunks and topped with flaky salt.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: -24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
2 ¼ cups (312g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1½ cups (262g) bittersweet chocolate chunks
3/4 cup (78g) toffee bits
flaky salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

Place 1/2 of the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter cook while occasionally stirring to ensure the butter is cooking evenly.
Cook the butter until it is a deep golden brown color and smells nutty and toasted, about 5 -7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the butter cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining 1/2 cup of butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla and the cooled brown butter and whip until light and creamy about 2 minutes.
Beat in the egg and the egg yolk and mix for another minute.
On low speed, add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Give the dough one final stir to ensure the flour is incorporated. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate and toffee.
Scoop the dough with a medium size/2 tablespoon ice cream scoop onto a lined cookie sheet. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Place the scooped dough into a large zip top bag. Refrigerate the dough overnight or up to three days. You can also freeze the dough if you wish to bake at a later date.
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place the dough onto the cookie sheets and sprinkle with flaky salt (you can do this before or after baking).
Bake 14-16 minutes, or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges, and the centers look set. Don't over bake.
Let the cookies cool 10 minutes on the parchment before placing the cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tutorial: Speckled Egg Cookies

April 8, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing this tutorial for an easy and fast way to decorate some Easter themed cookies. These speckled egg cookies are great to decorate with the kiddos and make super cute Easter basket gifts. The sugar cookie recipe I use for my speckled egg cookies is my go-to recipe. They are easy to roll out and they hold their shape when baked. They’re easily adaptable – you can add in your favorite spices, extracts, herbs, and more. You can find the recipe for my sugar cookies on my Snowflake Sugar Cookie post.

I used an oval cookie cutter to cut out my cookies, and I tapered one end, by hand, to have a slightly pointed egg shape. You can also use a larger circle cutter and shape it to look like an egg. Alternatively, you can use a sharp knife and cut out an egg shape, with or without a template. I don’t buy a lot of cookie cutters since I don’t use them often so I tend to make do with what I have.

Once you cut out your cookies, they need to be chilled. Chilling is important with sugar cookies as it helps them retain their shape. Once the cookies have been chilled throughly, they are then baked and cooled completely. While the cookies are cooling, I make the royal icing. The recipe for my royal icing can also be found on my Snowflake Sugar Cookie post.

I made three different colors of royal icing to replicate the colors of Cadbury mini eggs – robin’s egg blue, dusty pink and golden yellow. To mix color into royal icing, be sure to add very little at a time using toothpicks. Royal icing takes on color really well and can get too saturated really fast. Keep in mind that it will also darken a shade or two after it is colored. These are the gel colors I used to color my royal icing:

Robin’s egg blue: royal blue and ivory

Golden yellow: gold, and lemon yellow

Dusty pink – electric pink, and ivory

Ivory helps to tone down the hues so that the colors aren’t overly bright. Ivory is super necessary to have on hand for coloring royal icing, glaze, fondant, gum paste, etc.

One of the main issues that I hear from readers regarding royal icing, is that they are unsure of what the consistency needs to be for outlining and flooding, and if it is necessary to have multiple consistencies. I’m a no-fuss, one piping bag per color sort of cookie decorator, so I use a medium consistency for both outlining and flooding. This royal icing consistency post by Sweetopia is super helpful when determining if your icing is ready, so be sure to check it out. Royal Icing post coming from me in the near-ish future.

I used a PME tip #4 to outline my royal icing. I flooded the cookie with an Ateco #12 tip. After flooding the cookie, lightly shake it to distribute the icing and create a smooth and even surface. Outline, flood and let the cookies dry completely on the surface.

For the brown splatter effect, I mixed cocoa powder with a little bit of alcohol until a liquid paste (or slurry) forms. You can also use extracts instead of alcohol. Aim to use an extract that will compliment the flavor of your cookies and/or icing. I also made a metallic gold splatter using edible gold luster dust.

Now, this is the messy part. If you have an airbrush box, do these next couple steps in the box. Otherwise, lay out some paper towels to catch the impending cocoa mess. Using a paintbrush that is designated for food only, or a small pastry brush, dip the brush into the liquid paste mixture and wipe off any dripping excess. Use your finger to flick the chocolate mixture from the brush onto the cookies. I do recommend that you practice on a paper towel first to get the hang of how much of the chocolate mix to add you your brush as well as a good distance to hold your brush from the cookies to achieve the overall technique. Variations splatter size looks best.

I repeated the same process with the gold, but I used much less of the splatter effect. I just wanted a little gold to pop on my cookies.

Let the cookies dry completely (preferably overnight) before storing or serving. Enjoy!

For another delicious Easter dessert, check out this recipe:

Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies

November 25, 2019 By Ashley 4 Comments

Oh my goodness guys, these cookies. It was so hard to not eat ALL of them when testing this recipe – they are so good. The other taste testers of this cookie have been eagerly waiting for me to share this recipe, so I’m super excited to be sharing my brown butter maple pecan cookies with you today.

There are so many yummy elements to these brown butter maple pecan cookies, it’s hard to peg down exactly what makes them so good. Buttery, nutty, and crumbly shortbread cookies made with brown butter and filled with toasted, finely chopped pecans are dipped in a maple glaze with REAL maple syrup, and just a bit of maple extract for some extra maple flavor. I top them with some more toasted pecans for some extra crunch.

Browning butter is fairly fast and easy and really elevates any dessert you choose to use it in. Brown butter by heating it until the milk solids turn a deep golden brown. The butter will pop and bubble as it cooks, but as the popping and bubbling start to slow down, that means your brown butter is close to being cooked. It’s important to keep an eye on your browning butter as it can go from perfect to burned fairly quickly.

Toasting nuts before using them in a recipe does a few things to really bring out their flavor. The oils in the nuts are activated when toasted and come to the surface, which allows the nut to crisp up. This amps up their flavor and tones down the sometimes bitter flavor raw nuts can have. Toasting nuts is really the only way to allow nut flavors to shine through and work with stronger flavors, like chocolate, rather than being completely overshadowed by those stronger flavors.

I used to totally skip the process of toasting nuts for a recipe when I was in a hurry. I mean, why take the time to toast them when they toast while they’re cooking, right? Unfortunately, they don’t actually toast when cooking. The other ingredients prevent the nuts from getting hot enough to actually toast. Liquids in the recipe don’t allow the nuts to properly crisp as they would when toasting.

Luckily, toasting nuts is super easy. Just pop them on a cookie sheet into a 350F oven and toast for 6-8 minutes, stirring halfway, until they’ve darkened slightly and they have a toasty aroma. Keep an eye on them because if they burn, it’s game over and you’ll need to start over. Err on the side of under-toasted if you’re concerned about burning them.

I just used a simple, fluted round cookie cutter for my cookies but you can, of course use any cutter you would like. These cookies would look super cute cut out into maple leaves! Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator after cutting out the cookies so that the butter firms up and decreases the chances of spreading when baked.

The maple glaze really takes these cookies to the next level. I use real maple syrup in this glaze, but I cut it with a little bit of water so that the glaze isn’t too sweet. To help amp up that maple flavor, I use a little bit of a good quality maple extract.

These brown butter maple pecan cookies would be the perfect addition to your holiday cookie platter. Bring these to your next cookie swap and they are sure to be a hit. Enjoy!

For more cookie recipes, check these out!

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Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies

Buttery, crumbly and nutty brown butter shortbread cookies with toasted, chopped pecans and a sweet maple glaze.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

Maple Glaze:

2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1/8 teaspoon Fine sea salt

Instructions

Make the cookie dough:

Place the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter cook while occasionally stirring to ensure the butter is cooking evenly.
Cook the butter until it is a deep golden brown color and smells nutty and toasted, about 5 -7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Let the butter cool to room temperature. Place the butter in the refrigerator until solid but scoopable.
Combine the butter, the confectioner's sugar and the salt into a bowl of a stand mixer.
Beat on low speed until combined, stopping to scraping the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well mixed.
Add the flour and the pecans to the butter mixture and mix until just combined, and no flour remains in the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface or a non-stick mat, and form the dough into a ball. Flatten to a disc, about 1" high, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll and cut out the cookies:

Heat the oven to 350F. Line two cookies sheets with parchment.
On a lightly floured surface or a non-stick mat, roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick.
Using a round fluted cookie cutter, cut out rounds out of the dough and place on the parchment cookie sheets, leaving about 2" between the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes until the edges are just starting to lightly brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheets. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the maple glaze:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, salt, maple syrup, water, and maple extract until smooth.
Dip half of the cookies into the glaze and place on parchment paper.
While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.
Let the glaze set completely before serving.

Notes

Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to a week.

Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Cookies

January 31, 2019 By Ashley 4 Comments

While the sea of heart shaped pink and red filled chocolate boxes and pastry cases in stores this time of year make this sweets lover swoon, there’s nothing quite as special as a homemade sweet treat on Valentine’s Day. So, given that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I wanted to share the perfect sweet treat for you to make for those you love most in life – Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Cookies. Nothing says “I love you” like carbs and homemade cookies.

I’ve been a long time fan of shortbread cookies. They’re amazing in their simplicity and in all of their adaptable ways. When I was in college, I would purchase boxes of Walker’s shortbread cookies from the British shop in the historic area of our town. They were my favorite. I still visit that British store to buy loads of things – tea, Lyle’s golden syrup, and all things Cadbury but I stick to making my own shortbread nowadays.

These strawberries and cream shortbread cookies are buttery and crumbly and full of strawberry flavor. A creamy strawberry white chocolate drizzle on top takes these cookies to next level. The star of these cookies is freeze dried strawberries. These little nuggets are made by extracting all the water from the berries, resulting in a super concentrated flavor. Freeze dried strawberries and lots of other freeze dried fruits can be found at your local grocery store.

This shortbread cookie recipe is made like a traditional shortbread, by combining the butter and sugar, adding flavoring and then the flour and add-ins. It’s important to not whip your butter and sugar, just mix until creamy and well combined. Whipping air into the butter/sugar mixture can contribute to spreading cookies. After the flour is added, and the dough is still crumbly, crushed pieces of freeze dried strawberries are gently mixed in.

The dough is then refrigerated a bit to make it easier to roll out and cut out shapes. I chose to make cute little heart shapes for Valentine’s Day. Once the hearts are cut out, the cookies go back to the fridge to firm up completely before baking. I like to bake my cookies until the edges start to brown slightly. Baking the cookies at a slightly lower temperature than usual will ensure that they cook through but don’t brown on top.

My favorite part of the strawberries and cream shortbread cookies is the creamy pink white chocolate strawberry drizzle on top. Coloring chocolate usually requires oil based food color, or candy color so that the chocolate doesn’t seize. Luckily you don’t need any food color to tint the chocolate for these cookies. Pulverized freeze dried strawberries are mixed with melted white chocolate to make a super creamy, strawberry flavored pink white chocolate, perfect for drizzling onto your cookies. So, so good.

Turn these into conversation heart cookies by using these craft embossing stamps to imprint your favorite conversation heart sayings. Just stamp the letters into the dough before baking.

I’m kind of obsessed with these photos. Those little hands belong to my littlest kiddo, who so badly wanted to be a part of the photo process for these cookies. Those little pink fingers also promptly shoved that cookie in her mouth upon completion of taking the photos.

For more cookie recipes, check these out: