Bear claws - photo recipe





I have a thing for old recipes, old world style food. The kind of food that goes and on, and I can't imagine special occasions without something traditional, and unchanged. These cookies are kind of like vanilla crescents, melt away in your mouth, and can't stop with one.

Perfect with coffee or tea time, or any time.



Thumbprint Cookie Craze

It was just one of those days, when the weather is gorgeous, and you have all the time on your hands, and you crave sugar! Just had to make something quick, so I pulled out my "Baking from my home to yours" book by Dorie Greenspan, and landed my eyes on thumbprint cookies.

Actually never made them before, and it sounded like they would taste like vanilla crescents, which I LOVE! They do, with a bonus of fruity marmalade/jam.
I have more than enjoyed these cookies, and I have really gone crazy with varieties of jams/marmalades. Worked well with all of the flavors, though for my taste Red cornel aka European cornel, was just perfect.

Is there someone out there who never had these cookies? If yes, you better hurry up, it’s way to simple, and way too melt-in-your-mouth delicious to pass up!

Thumbprints for us big guys
From “Baking: From My Home To Yours” by Dorie Greenspan

1 3/4 cups finely ground hazelnuts
(I have used walnuts, almonds are fine too)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flower
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
About 1 cup raspberry jam (or the jam or marmalade of your choice)

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Whisk together ground nuts and flour.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the extracts and beat to blend. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the nut-flower mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated into the dough.

Working with a teaspoonful of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms to form small balls and place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Steadying each cookie with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, use the pinkie of your other hand (or the end of a wooden spoon) to poke a hole in the center of each cookie. Be careful not to go all the way down to the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies should be only slightly colored–they may even look underdone, which is fine: they should not be overbaked. When the cookies are baked, remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest on the sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula and sifting confectioner’s sugar over them.
Repeat with the remaining dough, remembering to cool the baking sheets before baking the next batch.

Bring jam to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat, or bring to a boil in a microwave oven; remove from the heat. Fill the indentations of all the cookies with enough of the hot jam to come level with the tops. Cool to room temperature.
Enjoy! Share!

Choco Vanilla Cookies

Craving chocolate!? I do --- every day. I also love vanilla, and these cookies comfirm that chocolate and vanilla are a match made in heaven.

I got this recipe from Coolinarika (in Croatian), and have done it a few times, and my kids love it. Tonight they were sad and missed their dad (he‘s on the road), so I made them these cookies for comfort.

Also, on Sunday I am having a ton of people coming over because it’s Easter for me, and I need to cook and bake for days to have enough for everyone.

I made peaches cookies again, and combined the cookies for my kids---choco vanilla, and peach halves to create cute little hats, which I got inspired to do by my friend from Canada. I just played around a bit, and I love the ideas that were coming to me. Well, need to buy some decorating material first...





This can be done with many different versions of cookies, and decorated even nicer, just check my friends’ little hats out.


Chocolate cookies with vanilla frosting - Išleri



For the cookies:
10 Tbsp of unsalted butter
200 g flour
70 g powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp of baking cocoa

Mix butter (room temperature) with egg yolk and sugar, then gradually add flour. Roll it out to about 1/3 of an inch, and cut with cookie cutters. Bake @ 355 F for 15 minutes, then lower it to 300 F for another 5 minutes. Let them cool, and then cover half of them with melted chocolate (I use 100 g baking chocolate with 3 Tbsp of oil). Spread the butter cream on the halves with no chocolate, and put chocolate coated ones on the top.

For the vanilla buttercream:
3 eggs
150 g sugar
1 vanilla sugar (2 Tsp)
7 Tbsp of unsalted butter

Mix eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar, then cook in a double boiler, mixing continuously until it thickens. Let it cool completely, and then add butter.
Cookies are best the next day, to let them sort of soak the moisture from the cream in.




Happy Mother's Day!