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Cookie Hive Reviews Part 3

This is the last and much delayed post in a series of articles about one fantastic afternoon of baking cookies with friends.


#43 Acorn Cookies (2000)

These take the prize for cutest cookie of the day. The dough pieces, formed into egg shapes drop onto the sheets and only get their acorn essence when the wide end of the cookies are dipped into chocolate, then nuts.

Dipped in pistachios, the acorn cookies on the left get
a festive holiday green tinge; those on the right are
dipped in pecans.
It took a while to figure out "the size of an acorn," which is about a teaspoon. Once we got our portions down to size, there were plenty to go around; the cookies filled three cookie sheets. The recipe calls for walnuts, inside and out. But you know my preference for pecans.

I thought this recipe would be very much like Mexican wedding cakes, but this recipe wants brown sugar, whereas the south of the border delicacies always want powdered sugar. I think the powdered sugar is responsible for a firmer consistency, and crunchier cookie. That powdered sugar can really pack down. The acorn cookies were still crunchy, but were lighter, less resistant to the teeth. Not quite al dente.

I made them again, but with almonds inside and pecans outside. Then, I made them again with pistachios outside, resulting in a lovely light green tinge. Each time, to rave reviews. All the flavor combinations work with this dough--ever so versatile!

The recipe is here and here.


#44 Mini Black and White Cookies (2005)

The black and white cookies are at two o'clock.
How can a small round confection be so controversial? These had their fans among those who prefer soft, delicate cookies. Others could not imagine putting so much work into such an unsubstantial cookie. Apparently, they are a favorite among those who first tasted them in New York. Maybe it's something in the water. I couldn't get excited about them.

The task of frosting these tidbits does seem daunting: Spread white frosting over one half the surface and dark frosting over the other half, without leaving a gray mooshy line down the middle. Not to worry. In fact, once you spread all the cookies with white frosting, they have set enough that the frosting sits obediently while the other half gets its contrasting color. If not, put them in a cool garage for a few minutes.

Just be prepared for a cookie that is more cake-like in texture.

The recipe is here and here.


#45 Scandinavian Rosettes (2002)

We saved our deep fried cookies for the end of the day, lest we smoke everyone out of the house or feel our pores clogging with oil and go running with terror from the house.

I did not grow up with deep frying. The closest I came to southern fried cooking was when I'd have an overnight at my friend's house down the street. Her family was from Arkansas. I loved her Mom's fried chicken, cooked up in a well-seasoned cast iron pan.

Eggs in the morning were broken into a half inch of melted Crisco in the same frying pan. Viola would splash the melted shortening over the top of the eggs with a metal spatula, scritch, scritch, over and over, to cook the tops without flipping the eggs. Never a runny white spot. They were perfect.

Stubborn, Bad Cookie wouldn't release from the rosette iron.
Our deep fried rosettes, though, began far from perfect. The first one clung insistently to the iron, resisting all attempts to free it. The next time we held the iron longer in the oil before dipping it into the batter. We must have achieved the right amount of seasoning and heat. Unlike its evil twin, this rosette fell easily off the iron onto the absorbent paper towels. Go figure.

These were light and crisp, but after only a few, we'd had enough.

You can't just store these for the next day, either. I found them too soggy after storage. Best to share with friends hot from the oil and dusted with powdered sugar.

The recipe is here, along with detailed directions about how to use the rosette maker.

#46 Galettes de Noel (Deep-Fried Wafers) (1969)

By the time we got to this recipe, we were all a bit punchy. We expected to drop our rolled out doughy disks into the hot oil and pluck them out round, flat and crispy. Instead, the wafers employed special synchronized swimming techniques and popped to the surface in all sorts of shapes.

They were not particularly crispy and the folded shapes gave us the bright idea that we could insert a filling and create popovers. We added nutella and almond butter to some, sealed the edges with water before deep-frying. Yum.

However, these creations of ours were not exactly photogenic. In fact, some of the "popovers" opened during deep-frying into semi-obscene Georgia O'Keefe-inspired floral shapes, with gooey centers. Need I say more?

If you are still inspired, the recipe is here.

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