Cornmeal diamonds
Marshmallow fudge brownies
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
Christmas rugelach
Hazelnut meringues
CORNMEAL DIAMONDS
yield: 42
(From Bon Appetit, May, 1997)
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Preparation
Grease and flour 2 baking sheets. Grate lemon peel. Flour a working surface and rolling pin. Preheat oven to 325º.
To make
Storage
These cookies will last up to three days in an airtight container.
MARSHMALLOW FUDGE BROWNIES
yield: 3 1/2 dozen
(From a cookbook my mother gave me, called Peachtree Bouquet. My commentary in the margin of this recipe says, "V. good, but, oh my!")
Chocolate batter
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Preparation
Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch pan. Chop pecans. Melt chocolate in a double boiler over simmering (not boiling) water. Beat eggs. Preheat oven to 350º.
To make
Cream butter and sugar. Add melted chocolate, beaten eggs, chopped pecans, and flour. Mix well and spoon into prepared pan. Set aside.
White batter
Ingredients
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup pecans
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Chop pecans. Beat egg. Set out butter and cream cheese to soften.
To make
Blend cream cheese with butter and sugar. Do it thoroughly. Add the beaten egg, then the 1/4 cup chopped pecans, the flour, and the vanilla extract. Mix well.
Assemblage
Ingredients
Chocolate batter in pan
White batter in bowl
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
To make
Spoon white batter over chocolate layer in the pan. Cover with chocolate chips. Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly. Cover with marshmallows.
Frosting
Ingredients
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar
To make
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Transfer to bowl and stir in vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar, stirring till smooth. Frost brownies while still warm (not hot); then cool completely and cut into squares. Store in the coolest place in the house.
PEANT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
yield: 2 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (about 6 ounces)
Preparation
Preheat over to 350º.
Mix together everything but chocolate chips; then stir in chocolate chips. Moisten hands. Taking 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, form into balls. Space 2-3 inches apart on uncreased cookie sheets. Bake about 12 minutes, till puffed on top and golden on the bottom. The centers should still be soft to the touch. Cool on sheets five minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to continue cooling.
CHRISTMAS RUGELACH
yield: 64
Dough
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 8-ounce package Neufchatel cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
To make
Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar till light and fluffy. (Whew.) Mix together flour and salt, and add to butter and sugar mixture in several stages. When thoroughly incorporated, gather dough into a ball and knead gently until smooth. Divide into 8 sections. Turn each into a ball, and flatten each ball into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic and chill 1 hour.
Filling
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 - 4 ounces dried cranberries
About 2 3/4 ounces walnuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
Preparation
Chop cranberries and walnuts finely to make 2/3 cup each. Melt butter.
To make
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Blend well. Set aside.
Assemblage
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
1 large egg
Additional sugar
Preparation
Beat the egg. Flour a working surface and a rolling pin. Preheat oven to 350º
To make
Working with one disk of dough at a time, leaving the others in the chill spot (refrigerator or back porch), roll out dough to 8-inch round. Spread 3 tablespoons filling over the round, leaving 1/2 inch at all edges. Cut round into 8 wedges, and, starting at the outside of the circle and rolling tightly, roll each wedge to its pointed end. Place point side down on uncreased cookie tray and curl the ends to make each cookie into a crescent. Brush cookies with beaten egg and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Transfer cookies to rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough disks.
HAZELNUT MERINGUES
yield: 6 dozen
Ingredients
1/2 cup hazelnuts
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Grease a large baking sheet. Toast hazelnuts in small skillet over medium low heat. When nuts are cool, rub them between your hands to rub off the papery husks, which are somewhat bitter. Finely grind hazelnuts, either in processor or with hand-pounded rotary food chopper. Sift cornstarch and 1/4 cup sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Preheat oven to 300º.
To make
Beat egg whites till foamy. (A rotary beater works fine.) Add cream of tartar and continue beating to the point of soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating hard after each addition, until egg-white peaks are stiff and glossy but not dry. Continuing to beat, add vanilla. Sift half of the cornstarch-sugar mixture over the egg whites and carefully fold in, using a rubber spatula. Repeat with remaining cornstarch. Gently fold in the nuts so as not to lose any air you have worked so hard to build up in the egg whites. Spoon part of the meringue into a pasty bag fitted with a star tip. Squeeze meringue into one-inch rounds on the baking sheet, spacing then 1/2 inch apart. Bake at 300º until meringues are light golden brown and set, about 30-35 minutes. Carefully transfer to racks and cool completely. Good luck.
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