Scrumptious Saturdays: September 2012

Inspired by yet another episode of Seinfeld:

The Black and White Cookie
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

(yields about 1 dozen 6-inch cookies)

Cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 batch each of vanilla and chocolate glazes (recipe follows)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350º and line two cookie sheets with parchment.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups cake flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

3) Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and has significantly lightened in color.

4) Set the mixer to its lowest speed, adding in eggs one at a time, stirring 30 seconds after each addition.

5) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in vanilla extract.

6) Add half the dry mixture then, once fully incorporated, add about half of the buttermilk. Repeat with remaining flour and butter milk until incorporated into the batter.

7) Using 1/4 c cookie scoop (4 Tbsp), drop 3 mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing each mound about 3 inches apart.

8) Use a spatula to flatten out the mounds slightly.

9) Bake the cookies 18-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown.

10) When the cookies are ready, remove from the oven and let rest on the pan for 5 minutes before loosening with a spatula and turning out to cool on a wire rack.

Glaze Cookies:
1) Fill icing bottles with vanilla and chocolate glaze.

2) One at a time, outline half the cookies with vanilla first.

3) Fill in the outline then smooth out with a knife.

4) Once all the cookies have been done, use any remaining icing by going over the iced side, icing will smooth out on its own.

5) Repeat with chocolate. If necessary, warm in the microwave 15 seconds at a time, shaking bottle between intervals.

6) Let the glaze set before storing or eating the cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 1 week.

(Glazes follow)
Two races of flavor living side by side in Harmony. It's a wonderful thing isn't it?

Glazes:
Printable recipes

Vanilla Glaze:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 1/2 tablespoons milk,
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons boiling water, plus additional as needed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze:
1) Sift confectioner’s sugar into a large bowl
2) Whisk in milk, corn syrup, and vanilla.
3) Add additional milk or confectioners’ sugar as needed until slightly stiff but drips smoothly from whisk.