Category Archives: COOKIE RECIPES

NOCCIOLATA

nocciolata

I tasted a cookie very much like the Nocciolata you see above on our recent trip to Italy. It was on the Isle of Capri. The Nocciolata on Capri however were formed into round balls and studded with whole hazelnuts. Absolutely delicious!

When we returned home I wanted to duplicate those amazing cookies. But do you think I could find any recipe on the Internet that came even remotely close to what I tasted that day? Heck no! So although the following recipe below is for a bar cookie, the taste is as close as I can come to the Niccolata I fell in love with on Capri.

I have always prided myself on not only preparing delicious food, but serving it in an attractive manner. To my thinking presentation is a very important aspect of the whole culinary experience. But sometimes, call it a momentary loss of good karma, or whatever other term you prefer to use to describe that moment in time when the world alignment seems to shift and you are caught in the fallout. That is just what happened to me yesterday afternoon and why the picture of my Nocciolata looks a little less than presentable. Heck, the cookies don’t even look edible, much less presentable! But there is an explanation and I feel duty bound to share it with you. (They say confession is good for the soul. Plus, I really don’t want you to think that I make a habit of taking cookies to share with others that look like the picture above!)

Every Tuesday we have a rehearsal that starts at 7:00pm in Seattle. And yesterday, we had three stops to make on our way into town. That meant that we had to leave the house by 2:00pm. OK, my ears heard what Mr. C. told me at breakfast about what time we had to leave that afternoon, but apparently my brain was not paying close enough attention (not a rare occurrence anymore). So I blithely went about my day finishing my blog post on Italian Bean Soup, answering a few emails, and starting a batch of Nocciolata to share with the gang at rehearsal. At about 1:10pm the cookies weren’t quite ready to be put in the oven when Mr. C. reminded me of the time. I panicked. I hadn’t had lunch, hadn’t practiced my music, hadn’t put on my head (not an easy task at my age) or changed my cloths. Basically I was about an hour behind.

So I quickly finished preparing the cookies, got them in the oven, slammed down some soup, put on my head and changed my cloths. By 1:55pm, after having just taken the cookies out of the oven, I headed downstairs with my purse and the hot pan of cookies (complete with two bulky pot holders). And of course because I was on fast forward, I thought I could hold my purse, and the cookies, open the basement door and push the garage door opener in one elegant and smooth movement. (Setting the cookies down on the entrance table would have caused a 10 second delay you see.)

Well all went well until I caught the edge of the cookie pan on the door. And in what seemed like 30 seconds (why do these sort of things always look like they are in slow motion?) the pan had flown out of my hands and landed on the carpet in our hallway with half the cookies on the floor. So I did what any intelligent, totally together woman would do under the circumstances. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

This brought Mr. C. running at full tilt down the stairs to see if I was OK. When he arrived and found that I had not broken anything and there was no blood, he proved to me once again why he is the best husband in the world. Instead of yelling at me for screaming and causing him to react in a manner that might have caused him bodily injury, he quietly said “oh honey, I’m sorry about the cookies. Are you OK”?

Am I OK? No, I’m not OK! I’m a raving idiot. Who in their right mind screams over something as insignificant as spilled cookies? But I was so frustrated with myself, that had I not screamed, I’m quite sure my head would have exploded. Really!

So we cleaned up the mess, put the pan with the remaining cookies in the car, and off we went. For the next 15 minutes I verbally berated myself for being such a dunce. By the time I calmed down, we were both laughing.  I at my bizarre behavior, and Mr. C. because he said he had never heard me make a sound like that before.

Moral of the story: Getting through life with your sanity intact involves learning to forgive yourself even when you sometimes act like a darn fool. That husbands who still love you even when you react as stupidly as I did yesterday are worth all the flour and sugar in the greater Puget Sound area. And last but not least, people will eat homemade cookies even if they look like hell!

1 1/2 c. shelled hazelnuts
2 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until fragrant and the skins begin to flake. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a clean dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for about ten minutes and then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove as much of the skin as possible. (Some skin will be left on the nuts. Not too worry.)  Let them cool completely and then chop into fairly small pieces.

Take about a fifth of the huts and whirl them in a food processor until they are finely ground. Do not make a paste out of the nuts, but you want them very finely chopped.

In a large bowl combine the flour and sugar. Pour in the melted butter and combine the mixture well. (I use a standard old fashioned table knife to stir the ingredients. No mixer required.) Stir in the finely and the coarsely chopped nuts. The mixture will be stiff. Gently pat dough into a buttered 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. (This is one cookie you do not want to undercook! It should be kind of crumbly when you eat it, and only sufficient baking time is going to help create the perfect texture.) Remove from oven and cut into squares while the bars are still warm. Allow to cool completely before serving.

 

OATMEAL, CHOCOLATE CHIP, COCONUT, AND PECAN COOKIES

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OK, so I know everyone has their favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. And I wouldn’t presume to try and sway you from your tried and true recipe. But! I made these little bites of heaven last week for us to nibble on as we helped move Mr. Cs 93 year old father from his home into a retirement cottage at a nearby assisted living facility. I also took some to our Saturday afternoon BlueStreet Jazz Voices rehearsal. And I am here to tell you – the cookies literally flew out of the container. They were absolutely loved by one and all.  I really could not believe how fast these cookies were consumed.

So if you are willing to leave the safety of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and take a walk on the wild side, give these little babies a try. They are chewy and actually not too sweet. And the combination of flavors is marvelous. I’m positively sure you will not be disappointed. After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen? You will only have wasted an afternoon, a half pound of butter, and several dollars worth of spendy ingredients.  Wait! I’m trying to convince you to bake up a batch. Forget that whole sentence about wasted effort and money! Just go forth and bake. You will thank me.

Speaking of thanking me, I am going to change the setting on my blog to not accept a reply. Not because of the comments I have received from all of you my faithful and dedicated readers. It’s because I have received literally hundreds of spam comments and frankly my delete button is wearing out and getting quite testy. Every time I hit it now, it goes “ouch”. So not being a total dummy, I can take a hint. (I must keep my lap top happy, and not coincidentally save myself time and frustration.)

So if you ever desperately need to comment on a particular post, please send me an email at chezcarrcuisine@wavecable.com and I will take the appropriate action. And thanks for your past comments. I always love hearing from you. Your comments make me feel like someone is actually out there wasting their time reading my words. And no, I am not a prima donna. Even if you disagree with something I have written, please let me know. After all, even if my delete button is tired, it still works!

  • 1 c. butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 c. white sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 T. milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 3/4 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt (only if using un-salted butter)
  • 3 c. rolled oats
  • 2 c. chocolate chips
  • 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
  • 1 ½ c. coconut

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt (if using). Add to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoons (I use a 1 ¼-inch ice cream scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are just set. Do not over-bake. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes about 95 cookies when using a 1 ¼-inch scoop.

 

CAPPUCCINO BROWNIES

So, yes I know, using a brownie mix is cheating. But I purchase the big boxes of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix at Costco because I often serve brownies at our monthly JazzVox in-home concerts and this mix really saves me money and time. Plus, the brownies are delicious. Then when you add a layer of coffee flavored butter cream and a topping of ganache, well decadence personified is not an over exaggeration!

Plus, almost everyone loves brownies. In fact, right after pizza, chocolate is the 2nd most beloved food in America according to a poll taken and reported on “The Top Tens” web site. Next on the list is chicken. I found that quite interesting; a food item high on the list that actually contained nutritional value! Next most popular food – ice cream. No surprise there. After that burgers, steak, tacos, sushi, bacon (no surprise there either) and finally French fries. So while I was researching favorite foods, I thought about my own top ten list of edibles that I find most appealing. (Given what I learned about myself during this little self-analysis, I should really weigh about 300 pounds! There must be something dramatically wrong with my metabolism that although close, I’m not there yet!)

Patti’s top ten (not necessarily in order, except for cheese burgers of course): cheese burgers (always and ever number one on my list), broccoli and zucchini (tied), poultry, mixed green salads (especially when topped with blue cheese dressing), homemade pepperoni pizza, any oven roasted vegetable, any kind of cheese, homemade soup, pasta with a rich creamy sauce, and finally bread of any kind, especially warm sour dough bread with lots of butter. Of course, honorable mention must go to very dry Tanqueray martinis, shaken not stirred, up with one olive. (You can’t live on them, but who wants to live without them either?)

Although chocolate, or any other sweet for that matter, is not on my top ten favorite foods list, it just might be on yours. If so, do yourself a favor and make a batch of these amazing brownies. They are simple to prepare and look and taste like a million dollars. Cheers to Theobroma Cacao, the fruit of Gods!

  • 1 pkg. chocolate brownie mix (or favorite from scratch recipe)
  • ¼ c. butter, room temperature
  • 2 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 T. + 1/3 c. plus 3 T. heavy cream
  • 2 tsp. + ¼ tsp. instant espresso coffee (I use Medaglia D’oro)
  • 1 ½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • coffee beans, opt. garnish

Prepare and bake brownie mix according to instructions on package in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan. (Even if the mix says bake in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan use a 9×13.) Allow to cool. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. (Will be a very dry mixture at this point.) In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 2 teaspoons coffee powder. Add the cream mixture to the butter/powdered sugar mixture. Beat until very creamy and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Chill for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat and stir the remaining 1/3rd cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream and chocolate chips together over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Stir in the remaining 1/4th teaspoon instant espresso coffee. Spread over chilled brownies and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into desired size and top each piece with a coffee bean.

HOMEMADE ENERGY BARS

I was reminded about these bars last evening when I saw a friend in the lobby after our Blue Street Jazz Voices concert and she asked me for this recipe. Allyson had been one of our amazing first sopranos a few years back and she still remembered these bars from one of our Saturday rehearsals. (I usually bring a little something for the singers to munch on when we have a special rehearsal. A little additional incentive to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning.) So when Allyson mentioned wanting this recipe, I thought there were others who might also profit by having this delicious energy bar recipe. After all, spring is in the air and we are all going to need more energy to deal with the new season. If your yard is waking up from winter hibernation like ours is, you too have weeds in full “this is my year to take over the yard” mode. That means Mr. C. and I have to shed our lazy winter habits and hit the yard big time. (Really it’s Mr. C. who does all of the heavy yard work and most of the weeding. And no, that’s not because I’m lazy! It’s just that I am a fabulous supervisor, and as such my job is more cerebral. It takes time to choose and purchase plant varieties and then decide where in the yard they should best be positioned. And I am the resident expert in that regard! So Mr. C. and I play divide and conquer. I divide hard earned dollars from our bank account by greatly contributing to the financial success of our favorite local nursery (Orchards), while Mr. C. conquers the weeds by continuous backbreaking exertion throughout the northwest growing season. Seems equitable to me!) But back to energy bars. These bars are chewy and delicious and full of good for you ingredients. One of the ingredients that I particularly love is the honey. But I’m not talking about that pasteurized stuff that calls itself honey that you find in most grocery stores. I’m talking about the real thing – delicious, straight from the hive of a happy clan of gently cared for local honey bees! The kind of honey you purchase from a local source like our very own Cats Paw Bees. To quote from their website “Cats Paw Bees is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of an organic environment for the honey bee in the local community of Stanwood and Camano Island in the Puget Sound area of Western Washington. Andy & Bonnie Swanson own and operate Cats Paw Bees using natural and organic methods to raise honey bees, producing a raw natural honey filled with local floral flavors. We sell our honey in the raw state, meaning we do not heat pasteurize it. Bulk honey producers often pasteurize their product to prevent it from crystallizing. Pasteurization kills the beneficial enzymes and amino acids, reducing the health benefits. Crystallization is a natural process. Many folks like to use crystallized honey on bread or muffins like a spread. Whether you gently re-liquefy your honey or use it in the crystallized form, raw honey is the best!” And in my humble opinion, Cats Paw honey is the best honey available in our area. For more information about their honey and where and how you can purchase this lovely product, please visit www.catspawbees.com. So next time you or someone you love is preparing to use more energy than usual, or tackle the likes of fireweed or bittercress, make a pan of these energy bars. As Mr. C. is fond of saying, (paraphrasing the late Charles Schultz of Peanuts fame) “a weed free yard is like liberty, it must be won and re-won many times!”  And since I want to keep my wonderful husband happy as he prepares for battle, I shall say good-by for now. I have a pan of energy bars to build! Happy Spring everyone.

  • 3 c. old-fashioned oats
  • 1  1/2 c. slivered almonds
  • 1  1/2 c. shredded coconut
  • 3/4 c. toasted wheat germ
  • 4 T. butter
  • 1 c. honey (un-pasteurized honey is the best)
  • 6 T. brown sugar
  • 1 3/4 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3/4 c. chopped pitted dates
  • 3/4 c. chopped dried apricots
  • 3/4 c. dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries (or combination)

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on an ungreased sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce oven to 300 degrees. Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for a minute stirring continuously. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Stir in the dates, apricots, and cranberries. Scoop onto a parchment paper lined 10×14-inch baking pan. Using the back of a moistened soup spoon or your wet fingers, gently press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a light golden brown. Cool for several hours before cutting into serving sized pieces. Best served the next day. Thank you Ina Garten for this wonderful recipe and humble apologies for the couple of minor changes I made!

 

PEACH KUCHEN

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There are few recipes with which I can impress people regarding my ultimate command of all things gluten as much as when I serve these amazing bar cookies/dessert. I really should not be sharing this recipe with you because my expertise in the kitchen is going to suffer a mighty hit when you realize how easy Peach Kuchen is to prepare. But because I hold you in such high regard and want you also to be known as kitchen geniuses, I am going to make the supreme sacrifice. (Nobility obviously runs in my family. It runs alright, as fast and as far away as possible!) But back to the recipe. I found this recipe probably 25 years ago, and as with many of the recipes I am going to share with you, couldn’t name the author even if someone threatened to take away my KitchenAid mixer! So for what it’s worth, take my advice and prepare Peach Kuchen next time you need a quick and easy cookie/dessert. You are simply not going to believe how good these few pantry and refrigerator staples can taste when combined for this dessert. And yes, of course, butter, eggs, and sour cream are staples in my home! If I even run low on butter and sour cream, I break out in hives. As far as white cake mix, coconut, and sliced peaches, they too are standard ingredients I always try to have on hand. (And no, I don’t break out in hives if a white cake mix doesn’t happen to be in residence in my pantry. I lose sleep of course until I can get to the store and purchase one, but I don’t break out in hives. That would be ridiculous!)

  • ¾ c. cold butter
  • 1 box white cake mix
  • ½ c. coconut
  • 1 can (29-oz.) sliced peaches
  • 1 T. cinnamon (yes, 1 tablespoon!)
  • ½ c. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. sour cream

Cut butter into cake mix until crumbly. Add coconut. Pat mixture into an ungreased 12×17-inch medium sized jelly roll pan (a 10×16-inch pan can be used in a pinch if you don’t own a 12×17); bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Meanwhile, drain the peaches and chop into pea sized pieces. When crust is cool, arrange peach pieces evenly over the surface. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle evenly over the peaches. Combine egg and sour cream and slather evenly over the top of the cinnamon and sugar. Bake another 25 minutes or until sour cream mixture is set. (Thin cracks will start to appear on the surface when the sour cream is set.)  Cool and cut into small squares.

Note: I have never served this cookie/dessert without someone asking me for the recipe. These are simply heaven on earth good.

 

 

GRASSHOPPER BROWNIES

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Since it is Valentine’s Day (ahhhhhh) I thought I would share something sweet with you today. (Actually I consider Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day to be Hallmark holidays. Father’s Day too, but that doesn’t affect me! I have always felt that if my husband and children choose to only tell me how wonderful I am one day a year through the means of a $2.95 card, I might as well pack my bags. I mean really, what about the other 364 days in the year? Once a year being told that you are loved by the people at Hallmark is just not enough for me personally! Whew – got that out of my system. And yes, I know that makes me kind of a spoil sport, but I am willing to accept the title if it gets my point across. In other words, show those you love how much they mean to you each and every day of the year.) Now where was I? Oh yes, something sweet to share with you.

I have been making these brownies for over 10 years. They are rich and decadent and everything about them screams I LOVE YOU! I mean truly, who could even begin to imagine they were not loved with a big old bite of one of these brownies in their mouth. So if you want to help your loved ones feel cherished every day of the year, (and not just on special occasions), make them something good to eat. It doesn’t even have to be one of these brownies, although that’s not a bad idea! It can be as fancy as a special pasta that they like, or as simple as a beautifully ripe pear. As long as whatever you set before them is delivered with love, your family and friends are always going to know how important they are to you.   Happy Valentine’s Day my friends.

Brownie:

  • 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 c. flour
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ c. chocolate ice cream syrup (Hershey’s is perfect)

Filling:

  •  ½ c. butter, room temperature
  • 2 c. powdered sugar (or more as needed to reach desired consistency)
  • 2 T. green crème de menthe*   

Glaze:

  • 6 T. butter
  • 6 oz. (1 c. chocolate chips)

**Brownie: Cream butter and sugar; add flour, eggs, and chocolate ice cream syrup. Beat until completely blended. Pour batter into a lightly buttered 9×13-inch pan and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Filling: Cream butter together with powdered sugar and *crème de menthe. Spread filling on cooled brownie. Let frosting set up for at least 15 minutes. Glaze: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Let sit for about a minute; stir until chips are completely melted. Gently smooth glaze over mint filling layer. Glaze will flow very easily and when cool will have a glossy appearance. Carefully cover the pan with plastic wrap (don’t let the wrap touch the glaze); refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

*If you only own white crème de menthe, add 3 drops green food coloring. If you don’t happen to own either green or white crème de menthe, or don’t happen to want to use liqueur in your brownies or purchase a whole bottle of liqueur for just one recipe (I do this all the time and it drives Mr. C. crazy), add 3 drops green food coloring and ½ teaspoon peppermint extract. (I use Trader Joe’s Organic Peppermint Extract.)  And by-the-way, if you happen to have a great recipe for a dessert that uses Banana Liqueur, please send it my way. Mr. C. would be ever so pleased.

**If you don’t have a lot of time to prepare the “brownie” part of this recipe, you can cheat like I do sometimes and use a brownie mix. I love the Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix that Costco carries.

 

 

COCONUT-LIME SHORTBREAD COOKIES

My husband, better known in cyber world as “Mr. C.”, and our good friend Jim hate coconut. Won’t touch it, won’t try it, won’t like it! However, out of a desperate need for a cookie recipe that did not include chocolate, I went in search of something different. Luckily I found this fabulous recipe (compliments of Better Homes and Garden), tweaked it a bit to better reflect my tastes, and have been making it ever since. Oh, back to Mr. C. and Jim. Well it so happens that the day I made these cookies Mr. C. and I had been invited to Jim and Margo’s home for dinner. Knowing that Margo loves coconut as much as I do, I took some along for her to try. (I’m sure you could write the end of this story, but I’m going to bore you with the details anyway.) The guys decided that they would condescend to try the cookies so that my delicate feelings would not be hurt. Right!! And as I am sure you have already surmised, they loved the cookies, coconut and all. So for all of you coconut haters out there (poor refined palate challenged folk that you are) give these cookies a try. It’s not too late to join our happy band of coconuts. (Get it? Coconuts!)

  • ½ c. flaked coconut, toasted**
  • ½ c. sugar
  • 2 T. finely shredded lime peel (zest)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 ½ c. flour
  • 1 c. butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 recipe lime glaze (recipe below)

In a food processor combine coconut, sugar, lime zest, and vanilla. Cover and process until coconut is finely chopped. Add flour; cover and process with the on/off pulse just to combine. Add butter; cover and process until mixture starts to cling. Transfer to a bowl and shape dough into a ball. Using a small ice cream scoop, form balls, and place 1-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball slightly with your fingers until the cookies are about 1/3-inch thick. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until bottoms start to brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. When completely cool and still on the wire rack, drizzle each cookie with Lime Glaze. Allow glaze to harden completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

**Toasted Coconut

Place coconut on a baking sheet. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the coconut starts to turn a light brown around the edges of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to cool before using in any recipe that calls for toasted coconut.

Lime Glaze recipe:

  • 2 c. powdered sugar (or more)
  • ½ tsp. finely shredded lime peel
  • 1 T. lime juice (or more)
  •  water

Whisk powdered sugar, lime peel, lime juice, and about 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl. You will need to play around with the consistency, but basically you want to be able to stick a fork in the glaze and drizzle the frosting off the tines of the fork in a thin stream. Add more lime juice or powdered sugar or water as needed to reach desired consistency.