Pittsburg Steelers’ Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Bittersweet Chocolate

Posted by Luane Kohnke on Jan 29, 2011 in Recipes, Wheat-Flour Cookies | 25 comments

I remember falling in love with steel-cut oatmeal about 6 years ago, while traveling extensively to the Northwest. I found that a small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal could sustain me thru hours and hours of client meetings. And so, I started to think about what steel-cut oatmeal might be like as a substitute for rolled oatmeal that I had been using in oatmeal cookie recipes.

The recipe below is an adaptation from Bon Appétit, May 2004. The steel-cut oats add an interesting texture to this semi-sweet cookie. And just as that bowl of steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast, the cookies are a hearty treat.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Bittersweet Chocolate
Makes about 1dozen
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons steel-cut oats (may substitute old fashioned oats for a
more tender cookie)
1/4 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter baking sheet.

Shift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together. Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until clumps form. Mix in oats with a spoon or spatula. Mixture will be very stiff. Add chocolate chips and knead with hands to blend.

Shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. Place on prepared sheet. Flatten to 2” round. Space rounds 2” apart. Bake until slightly firm and top is cracked, about 14 minutes. Cool on baking sheet. Store in airtight container.

Green Bay Packers’ Savory Cheddar Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Posted by Luane Kohnke on Jan 29, 2011 in Recipes, Wheat-Flour Cookies | 3 comments

What better way to celebrate the Packers Super Bowl participation than with a savory cheddar cheese cookie? These cookies make a great game day appetizer, with your favorite beer. I use Stonewall Kitchen hot pepper jelly.

Savory Cheddar Cheese Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 36 cookies

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup hot pepper jelly

In a food processor, combine cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and butter; process until creamy. Add egg yolk, white pepper, and cayenne pepper; process until well blended. Add flour and pulse just until soft dough forms. Dough will be sticky at this point. Refrigerate for 45 minutes until firm.

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

Roll approximately 2 teaspoons of dough into 1-inch balls. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie ball. Fill each cookie with 1/4 teaspoon of hot pepper jelly.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake cookies for approximately 15 minutes or lightly golden. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a cooling rack, allowing the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Bars

Posted by Luane Kohnke on Jan 26, 2011 in Recipes, Wheat-Flour Cookies | Comments Off

These refrigerated bar cookies taste like my favorite almond coconut candy bar. They require overnight chilling to set but they are worth the wait. The original recipe was written by Kristine Kidd and is from Williams-Sonoma Cookies and Biscotti, 1993.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Bars
Makes 36 to 40 cookies

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds, toasted and chopped

Filling:
1/2 cup well-stirred canned cream of coconut
3 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut

Topping:
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and butter the foil.

Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to mix well. Add the butter and toasted almonds. Pulse until the texture resembles fine meal. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly into the bottom to form the crust.

Bake until the crust is barely firm to touch and is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Cool completely in pan placed on a wire rack.

For the filling, place the cream of coconut in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and add the white chocolate. Stir until melted. Transfer mixture to a bowl, and add sour cream and butter. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the coconut.  Cover and refrigerate for an hour, stirring occasionally. Spoon the filling onto the cooled crust and smooth the top. Return to refrigerator and prepare the topping.

For the topping, place cream and butter in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce to low. Add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour the hot topping over the filling. Using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, spread to cover evenly. Shake the pan from side-to-side to smooth the surface. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Using the foil, lift the sheet from the pan. Cut into bars 1 1/2 inches by 3/4 inch. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Shortbread Cookies

Posted by Luane Kohnke on Jan 20, 2011 in Recipes, Wheat-Flour Cookies | 11 comments

Burn’s Night on January 25, in honor of Robert Burn’s birthday, is celebrated with haggis, scotch, and shortbread cookies–all well known foods in the Scottish tradition. These buttery shortbread cookies are among the simplest and most versatile cookies to make.

Shortbread Cookies
Makes 60 to 72 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces
Sugar or sprinkles for decorating, optional

Shift flour and whisk sugar and flour together in a bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter, until crumbly and mixture resembles flakes. Kneed with hands until gathered and pliable. Chill overnight or several hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Roll dough between sheets of wax paper to 1/4-inch thick and cut with shapes. Sprinkle with sugars or sprinkles, if desired. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Cool completely.

Store in airtight container for up to one week.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Posted by Luane Kohnke on Jan 17, 2011 in Recipes, Wheat-Flour Cookies | 7 comments

The recipe for these tender and delicious cookies first appeared in Gourmet magazine in August, 2001. The combination of chocolate, coconut, and almonds makes this oatmeal cookie a satisfying treat.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Makes about 24 large cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup almonds with skins, toasted, cooled, and chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter cookie sheets.

Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and almonds.

Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (about 8 cookies per sheet), then gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position and rotating pans halfway through baking, until golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.