It’s not the Holidays yet, you say? I say the season’s already begun. For us Indians in the US, Diwali is kind of the harbinger of the Holiday season, isn’t it? And while Amma used to make boondi laddoos, rava laddoos, badhusha, halwa for Diwali…I could go on and on…I compare it to the different kinds of cookies that we bake here in the US for the Holidays. It also happened to be Nikhil’s birthday this past week, so I shouldn’t really say that I baked these cookies for Diwali.. the timing just happened to coincide. Also, the chocolate chip cookie needs eggs, and they for sure weren’t made with Diwali in mind, as cooking with eggs for something as auspicious as Diwali could be considered blasphemous in the home I grew up in.
The result of baking those cookies? Let me just say that Diwali isn’t even here yet, but the cookies are long gone! I baked three different kinds of cookies and made almost 100 of them in all (I know for many Daring Bakers out there, this isn’t a big deal, but it was for me to share) and it wasn’t just the kids that loved them.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
I got this recipe from a Martha Stewart video show where she was demonstrating how to bake crisp chocolate chip cookies, not the chewy kind (which are also not my favorites anyway!). I made one batch with 36 cookies and they turned out so good that I made 2 more batches.
The only variation was that I used a little less sugar and kept the oven temperature at 350F instead of 375 as she suggests. The cookies get done very quickly and I personally don’t like them too sweet as well.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt) and set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes)
4. Add vanilla, egg and egg white to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat for a few more minutes in low speed.
5. Add flour mixture and mix until combined. Now add the chocolate chips and run the mixer once quick so everything gets mixed well.
6. Take an ice cream scoop and add one heap of cookie dough on the baking sheet. Add the remaining dough in a similar fashion placing them about one inch apart from each other on the sheet.
7. Bake for about 15-16 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Rotate the sheet halfway so the cookies get browned evenly. Cool on a wire rack.
Pistachio Icebox Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for tolling the dough)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Method:
1. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the flour now while keeping the mixer at low speed, and mix until combined and it forms a dough. Mix in the chopped pistachios.
3. Divide the dough into two halves. Place each half on a piece of floured or wax paper. Take some flour in your hands and roll the dough until a 1 1/2 inch log forms. Wrap the logs firmly in the paper and refrigerate until firm for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The logs can be refrigerated for upto 4 days or frozen for upto a month.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F. remove the logs from the refrigerator, and using a serrated knife, slice the dough into 3/4 or 3/8 inch slices. Arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on the sheet.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly golden brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheets or transfer to a wire rack.
do you think these would translate well to almond cookies? I see you did them with pecans and pistachios… almonds seem to abound in my differently-stocked (not very understocked at the moment!) kitchen… the twin towers at home are clamoring for cookies.
Yes, I’m sure you can. Try it out and better still, post it on UVK.