Happy New Year!

On this New Year's Day
and the whole year through,

May the kindness and generosity
you've given to others
returns many times to you.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Pomegranate Cupcakes

OH MY...this has been a rough Christmas as far as weather! It snowed earlier in the week and we had about 6" of the squishy white stuff on the ground. But on Christmas Day it started raining, sleeting and then into freezing rain for about 24 hours. It was miserable but the rain did melt most of our existing snow and being it was Christmas we all just stayed inside where is was warm and had fun all day!

But then on December 26th, the temperature dropped and it started snowing.....and snowing.....and snowing. It must have snowed for the better part of 18 hours and it was a fierce blizzard. I took the below picture at about 4 pm on December 26th and measured the snow. At that point we had a little more then 15" of new snow. It continued snowing until about 9 pm but I did not measure until the next morning for a grand total of 17" of new snow. We are buried but it's so pretty!




And the next morning this is what I found. Isn't it gorgeous!





Sometimes you just need something tangy and sweet on a cold, snowy winter day and what could be more perfect then Pomegranate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!

The recipe Just Plain Good Cupcakes is my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. It is a small batch recipe and only makes five cupcakes but you can easily double it. And it adapts beautifully with any flavoring, fruit or filling I've tried. I like to bake these cupcakes until the tops are just slightly browned. The little extra caramelization adds so much flavor not to mention the crunch with every bite.





Just Plain Good Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Small Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans

Makes 5 cupcakes (isn't that a hoot 5 CUPCAKES!)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Yolk of 1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use 1/8 tsp vanilla)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

My additions:
2 tsp Pomegranate Molasses **See Note

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 5 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add egg yolk and vanilla and again whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are blended. Increase the speed to medium and bet until the mixture is slightly increased in volume, about 45 seconds, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended, 20 seconds. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter evenly into the 5 baking cups. Put a little bit of water in the rest of the empty cups in your Cupcake Tin to prevent the cupcakes from scorching. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.

**Note: Pomegranate Molasses is quite thick and very potent. But if you want a more tangy Pomegranate taste you can add a little bit more but make sure to taste the batter first.


Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle's Cupcakes

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Eggnog - And it will knock your socks off!

My husband used to travel quite a bit when he worked at IBM and he had friends all over the world. We were living in Florida at the time and since Tampa was headquarters for The IBM Information Network whenever one of my husband's co-workers was in town for business we would get together for dinner or drinks. And many times they even stayed at our home, and when I look back I really think I should have charged IBM hotel fees...but I digress!

It was close to Christmas and we got a call from Tom, a friend in Washington D.C. that he was going to be in town with his wife, Marianne, visiting family and they wanted to get together for lunch. We met Tom and Marianne and had a great time at lunch along with a few Martinis. Then we proceeded over to Marianne's Mother's home in Clearwater and immediately upon arrival Marianne served us her Eggnog. Now, this is not just a seasonal Eggnog like your Grandma made. This is lip-smacking, long-lasting, sweet-tasting, swear-like-a-sailor buzz kill that would even get old Scrooge in a jolly mood! And I loved it!









Knock Your Socks Off EggNog
Recipe adapted from a friend, Marianne

12 eggs, separate
1 LB confectioners sugar
3 c. blended whiskey
1/2 + 1/3 c. light rum
1/2 + 1/3 c. dark rum
1 c. Peach Brandy
1 qt Whipping Cream
1 qt half/half

Separate the eggs.

Place the egg yolks in a VERY large bowl and beat until light in color.

While beating add confectioner's sugar

Continue beating and add 1 c. blended whiskey, 1/2 c. light rum, 1/2 c. dark rum

Let mixture stand for at least 1 hour to dispel egg taste.

After it has rested start beating the mixture again and add, 2 c. blended whiskey, 1/3 c. white rum, 1/3 c. dark rum, peach brandy, whipping cream and half/half.

Refrigerate covered for 3 hours.

Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into cream/booze mixture.

Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, nutmeg and a candy cane as a stir stick. The Candy Cane dipped in the Eggnog was delicious!

This is a large recipe but you can half or quarter the recipe and it works out just fine!











All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Cream Cheese Cookies -- My Favorite Cookie!

When I was growing up every Christmas my Mom made Cream Cheese Cookies. She used her old-fashioned Cookie Press and made hundreds of little Christmas Trees, Camels and Wreaths. I remember the cookie sheets covered with green and red cookies laying on every flat surface of our kitchen and dining room. And I remember my Mom shaking colored sugars and confections and placing red hots for Christmas balls and silver dagrees for eyes. And I remember the wonderful smell of cookies baking!

And when I moved into my first apartment I, too, made Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies and covered them with confections and colored M&Ms. But I used a new manual Cookie Press which was smaller but still not comfortable to use but I persisted after all these are my favorite cookies! Until finally in 1986 I heard about an Electric Cookie Press and believe me I was at the store within hours and bought my first Super Shooter by Wear-Ever and it worked wonderfully.

I could not believe how fast the Super Shooter made the cookies. I could make two sheets of cookies in less then two minutes and every cookie was perfect and no more blisters on my hands from using the manual press! I now have three Wear-Ever Super Shooters just in case one burns out!









Cream Cheese Cookies
Recipe adapted from my Great Aunt Mil

1 c. Butter
1 c. Sugar
1-3oz pkg. of Cream Cheese **See Note
1 Egg Yolk
2 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Cream butter; Add Cream Cheese and Sugar. Beat egg yolk; Add Vanilla and Flour;

Chill dough over night; Must use either a Cookie Press or dropped tsp and pressed with fork.

Bake at 350 Degrees for about 8 minutes or until lightly brown on bottom. Cookies should be soft not crispy.

**Note: I always double the recipe and just add 1-8oz package of Cream Cheese. I think the extra Cream Cheese makes a better cookie dough. And I sift all my dry ingredients. You must make the cookies within 24 hrs of making the dough, otherwise the cookies will loose flavor.









Flavor of the Month is graciously hosted by Bridget of Bake at 350. Hop on over and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many highly creative people.





Gadgets that Work







I love my Wear-Ever Super Shooter and although it's no longer made, you can still find them at local garage sales and on Ebay. I bought my extra Shooters at local garage sales and church rummage sales and neither had even been used and were completely intact including manual and in the original box. I think I paid around $5 for each of them but I would have paid much more. Just the thought of having to go back to a manual cookie press makes my hands hurt!

The Super Shooter is very easy to use. Just fill the barrel up with cookie dough, choose a cookie die and pull the trigger et viola...a cookie is born!

All Super Shooter parts are dishwasher safe except the actual gun which houses the motor and this can be easily wiped down with a damp cloth.

There are other brands of Electric Cookie Presses on the market now, some are even cordless. I did try the Salton and it was returned within a week. I'll stick with my Wear-Ever Super Shooter which is still going strong since 1986!





All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

A Tale of Two Salmon

Last week I was tweeting with Rebecca of Chow and Chatter and it did not take us long to begin discussing our recent menus. And come to find out both of us had just made Marinated Salmon but with two totally different recipes. We thought it would be fun to swap Salmon pictures and link to each others blogs....Sort of like a game of tag but with fish!

Rebecca's Harissa Marinated Salmon with CousCous is her own original recipe and consisted of Salmon marinated in a fabulously spicy, tomato-based Harissa Sauce and wonderfully served over CousCous! And doesn't it look delicious! I know Mr. Tastebuds would just be in 7th Heaven if I served him this!






On the other hand my Salmon was a much quieter dish, still marinated but in Sake, Soy, Ginger, Garlic and Marin. It was so delicious and definitely a keeper recipe and one I will make again and again! I served the Soy-Lacquered Salmon with Mushrooms that had been sauteed in butter with about 1 tsp of fresh minced Thyme. I just loved the Mushrooms with Thyme!







Pan-Roasted Soy-Lacquered Salmon
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

1/2 cup sake
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 tablespoon light miso
1 head garlic, halved
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, halved, and smashed
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
4 (6 to 8-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on
3 tablespoons peanut oil
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

In a bowl large enough to accommodate the salmon, mix the sake, soy sauce, mirin, and miso until the miso has dissolved. Add the garlic, ginger, cilantro, and salmon fillets. Cover and marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the oil in an ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the salmon skin side down. Put the pan into the oven and roast until the salmon is cooked medium-rare, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves and lime wedges.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

A Book and a Bag Giveaway Winners!

I know everyone is anxious to find out who won the A Book and A Bag Giveaway I announced on December 1st!

Ann Arnold graciously donated both the Bamboo Turtle Bag which she designed. And she also included a copy of the wonderfully, fun book "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer" written and illustrated by Ann Arnold.


Well........

Megan of My Baking Adventures is the winner of the gorgeous Bamboo Turtle Bread Bag!

AND

Jenny of Petalz and Finz is the next proud owner of "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer".


Congratulations to both Megan and Jenny! Please send your full name and address to me at beans at rocketmail dot com.




Special Offer to All HBinFive Members!
To celebrate the holidays Ann has offered to refund postage, continental US ONLY, on all Bamboo Bag purchases for HBinFive Members! Just mention HBinFive in the Special Instructions/Comments Field of your PayPal order and Ann will include the postage refund with your order. You must be a member of HBinFive to receive the shipping charges refund! Special offer expires January 1, 2010.



And a tease..........

I do have another Bamboo Bread Bag but this one is the Loaf Pouch! I will be having another giveaway for this bag sometime in February...so stay tuned!




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Welcome to the 2nd HBinFive Bread Braid

Whenever I bake my three Rottweilers like to keep me company in the kitchen but I can not maneuver in my kitchen with three fully grown Rottweilers under foot! So I've drawn invisible lines on the floor that are not to be crossed and the dogs know exactly where the lines are located. And my male Rottweiler, Archie, generally claims the most coveted spot safely outside the invisible line yet just close enough to spy any thing that falls on the floor! The dogs know that they can not begin a food search until I give the command "scavenge" and then all three bolt into the kitchen and the search is on!

In the below photo, Archie's wide-eyed, confused expression is because he knows he is well over the invisible line and he's wondering why I'm taking a photo and not correcting him. He's like frozen in place waiting for the correction-of-death which consists of a tug on his collar and then the final blow of "Bad Boy"! OH...the shame of it!





As I stood at my island rolling out dough, I had no idea what I was going to make and I glanced down at Archie and thought "This boy is definitely due for a pup pedicure". And then it hit me! Hmmmm.....Rottweiler Claws! And being I have wanted to make Zoe's Bear Claws for a while now, my decision was made. Of course I'd have to put my own spin on the pastry and I just happened to have absolutely everything I needed....YES!







Rottweiler Claws
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

1/2 Recipe of Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest (Makes about 12 Rottweiler Claws)

My alterations and additions to the Whole Grain Challah Recipe:
2 c. AP flour
1 c. White Whole Wheat Flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 c. soft butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Fresh Yeast

Filling:
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. golden raisins
Zest of 1 large Naval Orange
1/4 c. ground almonds

Topping:
Egg Wash (1 egg slightly whipped with a tsp of water) or Cream
Coarse Sugar
Whole Cashews

In a food processor add cranberries, brown sugar, raisins, orange zest and ground almonds and mince. Set aside.

Roll out dough to a little bit less then 1/4" thick. Cut into about 6-8" squares.

The filling will be sticky and easily formed into 5-6" logs. Place a log of filling at about the half mark.

Dampen the short end and down the sides of the square with egg wash and then flip it over the filling log and tap it down so that it adheres.



Trim the toe area to about 1" and then cut the 5 individual toes. I know dogs only have 4 toes and a dewclaw but only 4 toes looked silly...so I'm using my pastry maker's license.

Curve the Paw area into a crescent so that the toes separate and spread out.



I brushed with Egg Wash but it came out sort of blotchy where the sugar is and I'm not quite sure why this happened. I think if I had brushed with cream my Rottweiler Claws would have been prettier, if it's possible for Rottweiler Claws to be pretty!

Sprinkle with course sugar. Press 1 whole Cashew into each toe to make the claw.

Cover and let rise for about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees until Claws are a nice golden brown.







Below are more of my creations I made with our Bonus December Recipe, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. Just click on the title link to find the post and recipe.


Poppy Seed Roll




Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest






If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while the Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.



Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!









Don't forget that December 15th is the last day to enter my A Bag and a Book Giveaway.

Every comment left on this post is one entry into the Giveaway!

The Bamboo Bread Bag is impeccably designed by Ann Arnold. And the book, "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer" was authored and illustrated by Ann Arnold.

And Ann has a special offer for all HBinFive Members!







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Poppy Seed Roll

When I was growing up in Flint, Michigan, we had a neighbor down the street that my Mom and I would visit for late morning coffee. I was very young at the time and the family moved away when I was about 6 years old. I don't remember much about the family except that they had a large wooden kitchen table and there was always a Poppy Seed Roll sitting right in the middle. I have no idea if the Roll was homemade or not but I loved their Poppy Seed Roll and they always offered me a piece. And sometimes I was offered a second slice which I never turned down!

Since I've been wanting to try making a Poppy Seed Roll I decided to make another half recipe of the HBinFive December Bonus Recipe, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. But this time I adjusted the dough and used 2 c. AP Flour, 1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 1 c. White Whole Wheat Flour, 1 tsp Vanilla and I also used butter instead of oil and this made a huge difference. And the rise was truly amazing! I braided the top of the Poppy Seed Roll but since I drizzled with glaze and added so many sliced almonds you really can't see the braiding! I baked the Poppy Seed Roll for not quite 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The Poppy Seed Roll was very good and quite different from anything I've made before. However, I do think the bread should have been just a little bit sweeter and if making it again I would use 1/2 c. Honey.







Poppy Seed Roll Filling

1 pound poppy seeds
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup seedless raisins
Zest from 1 medium sized lemon
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1 egg white

I cut this recipe in half and had more then enough for 1 Poppy Seed Roll.

Rinse and drain the poppy seeds and spread them out on paper towels to dry. Then pulverize the poppy seeds, almonds, raisins and lemon zest in a food processor until finely minced.

In a heavy saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of the milk and sugar and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat to low. With a whisk, beat the 2 Tablespoons of flour into the remaining ¼ cup of milk, then slowly beat it into the simmering milk. Again bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Pour it over the poppy-seed mixture and stir well. Then beat in the egg yolk. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until it forms firm unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted out of the bowl. With a rubber spatula, fold the egg white gently but thoroughly, into the poppy-seed filling.







Constructing the Braid/Roll

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, 1/8-1/4 inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you have already made.

Spread a layer of the Poppy Seed Filling cream about 1/2" thick down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Brush the Roll with either egg wash or cream before baking.


Glaze and Topping

1/3 cup half and half
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
Sliced Almonds

Place powdered sugar in bowl. Whisk in half and half by spoonfuls until glaze is spreadable. Drizzle glaze over roll. Sprinkle with almonds. Let stand until glaze sets.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest

Our December recipe for HBinFive is Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. I was very happy to see a Challah as our bonus recipe because it's so easy and I love braiding bread. With Christmas less then 3 weeks away, I really did not want a recipe that was fussy. Although braiding bread looks difficult, it's not and I thoroughly enjoy it and the 5-strand Challah is my favorite. At the end of my post is a short video, less then two minutes, demonstrating just how easy the 5-Strand Challah is to make!


You can find the recipe for the Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest by clicking on the link. However, I did make some changes to this recipe. First of all I made a half recipe and for the flours I used 1 1/2 c. AP Unbleached White Flour, 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour and 1 1/2 c. White Whole Wheat Flour. And for the Wheat Germ I substituted Amaranth Flour.







Orange Sugar Confection
Recipe adapted from "not a clue"

1 large naval orange
1/2 c. of sugar

Zest the entire Orange. Mix the orange zest with the sugar.

The sugar will be damp and you will need to let it dry out. I just spread the orange sugar on a cutting board, parchment paper or a plate and after an hour or so I transfer it to the bowl. Once in the bowl I stir it with a fork and break up any sugar clumps. Over the next 2 days, every once in a while repeat stirring with a fork and breaking up any clumps until the orange sugar is completely dry. The sugar will preserve the orange and there will be no taste lost and it will keep for at least 6 months or so in a tupperware like container or ziplock bag. However it will fade if exposed to light, so keep it in a kitchen cabinet towards the back.







You can use the same technique and make your own Garlic Salt which is so good on Homemade Potato Chips.

Garlic Salt

2-3 TBL Kosher Salt
2 large cloves of garlic

Put garlic cloves through a garlic press. Mix pressed garlic and salt. Let air dry by spreading out the salt on a plate or parchment paper. As the garlic salt dries periodically break up any clumps with a fork. When the garlic salt is completely dry store in a covered tupperware-like container or ziplock bag.




A Book and A Bag Giveaway

And don't forget to enter my A Bag and a Book Giveaway. The Bamboo Bread Bag is impeccably designed by Ann Arnold. And the book, "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer" was authored and illustrated by Ann Arnold.

And Ann has a special offer for all HBinFive Members!















All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Nuts to You! **Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot

There's really no reason why I chose Bon Appetit's Chocolate and Almond-Dipped Sandwich Cookies as my seventh cookie for our 12-Days of Cookies Extravaganza except I thought the cookies were pretty! It's just an innocent cookie and I had no idea I would be heading into cookie combat! But I was not taken by surprise and since I had chocolate on my side and apricots as my right flank, I was very prepared. Bring it on........

Okay "Bon Appetit" this is my first official smackdown!

I have baked cookies forever. I've made 100's of recipes. I've created my own cookie recipes. I've added this and that, sweet and savory, even used fresh fruit and have always produced a good cookie. But yesterday I had my first cookie failure and it was a total failure. Nothing I tried saved this recipe. I know some will say "it's your flour" or "it's your oven" and I'm going to flat out say the problem was the recipe!

I knew this recipe was going to be touch and go when I was mixing it up. The cookie dough had the consistency of frosting. How in the world can you make cookies with dough that is soft like frosting? So I thought if I refrigerated the dough for 24 hours it might help. But in the morning the dough was still much too soft.

Since the dough was like frosting, the logical thing to do is pipe the cookies. So I got out my pastry bag and largest star tip and piped 2 1/2" bars. And after baking and cooling the bars, I thought I'd dip one end of the cookie into chocolate, sprinkle with chopped nuts and the cookies would look delicate and Christmasy and gorgeous!! The cookies piped beautifully and as I popped the full cookie sheet into the oven, I thought all the problems were behind me. But within three minutes of baking the cookies were completely melted into one big paper-thin mass of cookie dough! FAIL! Double FAIL! No, make that a Triple FAIL!

So I got to work and made a new cookie dough, MY WAY! For reference I used Bon Appetit's Chocolate and Almond-Dipped Sandwich Cookies which is the recipe that failed and King Arthur's Almond Cookies with Praline Chocolate Filling.

And my Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot were fantastic and so much fun to make!







Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

Cookies:
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg, slightly whipped
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. Almond Meal

Topping or Filling:
8 oz of semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
4-5 dried apricots, finely minced

Mix the sugar and butter. Add vanilla, egg, salt and almond meal. While mixing gradually add flour.

Chill at least 4 hours.

Cookies can be rolled out to 1/4" thick and cut into shapes. Or 1 tsp of dough can be rolled into a ball and flattened by crisscrossing with a fork or palm of hand or you can use a cookie press or cookie mold.

Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Remove to cooling racks.

Chocolate Decoration:
Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes.

You can either drizzle by dipping a fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies. Or you can dip half the cookie into the chocolate and place on parchment paper. Sprinkle minced apricot on top of chocolate while it is still warm.

And you also can make a sandwich cookie: Place half of cookies, bottom side up, on work surface. Spread chocolate on the back of 1 cookie careful to leave a small border near the edge. Sprinkle the chocolate filling with some minced apricots. Top each with another cookie, gently pressing to adhere.

Set chocolate by placing cookies in refrigerator for 8-10 minutes.


Below is a picture of the Walnut Cookie Mold I used to make my cookies. I've had the molds for a long time now maybe 4-5 years and as I remember I ordered them from Amazon. Molded cookies are easy, yet time consuming to make but I love the effect of a molded cookie!!




Susan @ Thoughts from Over the Rainbow is having a Deck the Halls Party and I'm entering my Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot. Please visit Thoughts from Over the Rainbow and see some more wonderful holiday ideas, I know you will enjoy it!







Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze

Juniper berry; A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour. According to one Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA)document, juniper berries are the only spice derived from conifers.

The flavor profile of young, green berries is dominated by pinene; as they mature this piney, resinous backdrop is joined by what is describes as "green-fresh" and citrus notes. The outer scales of the berries are relatively flavourless, so the berries are almost always at least lightly crushed before being used as a spice. They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavor and odor is at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage.

Juniper berries are used in northern European and particularly Scandinavian cuisine to "impart a sharp, clear flavour" to meat dishes, especially wild birds and game meats. They also season pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut dishes. Traditional recipes for choucroute garnie, an Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and meats, universally include juniper berries. Besides Norwegian and Swedish dishes, juniper berries are also sometimes used in German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian cuisine, often with roasts.







There are many reasons I chose the Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze as my sixth cookie for the 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza. I happen to love Gingerbread, so much so that I can remember the first time my Mom made it. We were living in Cuyahoga Falls, OH and I was about 10 years old. I remember the chunk of dark, luscious Gingerbread sitting in front of me, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with Nutmeg. With my first bite I knew it would always be a favorite of mine and it still is!

I discovered Juniper Berries were used in cooking several years ago and I've wanted to do something with them ever since. The berries have a gentle odor of evergreen and smell so fresh and clean. On the other hand, my childhood memories of Juniper Berries were as a much sought after weapon. We used to pick the berries off our evergreens and wing 'em at each other all the time!

I've been very good about not changing any of the recipes so far for the Christmas Cookie Extravaganza but from now on I'm busting out! It's difficult for me to bake when I know I can make the recipe better or at least better for us. So, yes I did change this recipe. Since I wanted to enhance the Juniper Berry taste I increased the Juniper Berries to 1/2 cup. And for the cookies I added 1 egg and cut down the Molasses to 2 TBL and eliminated the Allspice.

I loved these cookies and they are my favorite so far!! They were not easy to roll out even with chilling the dough overnight in the refrigerator. So once again I just took a small amount of dough and patted it down with my hands to about 1/4" and cut the cookies. The Juniper Berry was not as pronounced as I would have liked, in fact it was barely detectable at all which was a disappointment. But I was very happy with the cookie overall and I will try and find some fresher Juniper Berries for future experimentation.







Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I skipped)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses (I used 2 TBL)

My addition: 1 egg, slightly whipped

Glaze and decoration:
3/4 cup half and half
1/3 cup (1 ounce) juniper berries, lightly crushed (I used 1/2 c.)
1 pound powdered sugar
Assorted decorations (colored sugars, nonpareils, and dragées)

For the cookies:

Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in molasses. Beat in dry ingredients. Gather dough; divide into 4 pieces. Shape into disks. Wrap; chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Roll out 1 dough disk to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 3 1/2-inch cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to sheet. Gather scraps; chill.

Bake cookies until almost firm in center, 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 2 minutes, then cool on racks. Repeat, using all dough. DO AHEAD Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.


For glaze and decoration:

Bring first 2 ingredients to simmer. Cover; chill 5 hours. Strain. Place powdered sugar in bowl. Whisk in half and half by spoonfuls until glaze is spreadable. Frost cookies; decorate. Let stand until glaze sets. DO AHEAD Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.






Susan @ Thoughts from Over the Rainbow is having a Deck the Halls Party and I'm entering my Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze. Please visit Thoughts from Over the Rainbow and see some more wonderful holiday ideas, I know you will enjoy it!






Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Chocolate Mint Cookies with Pearls and Gold

My fifth cookie choice for 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza was not a hard decision at all. I happen to love Chocolate and Mint, but this particular dough was awful sticky and difficult to work with. The directions say to roll the dough into a log and chill for two hours and then just slice the cookies. WRONG! The dough, thoroughly chilled for a good four hours, was still too soft and even though I used my porcelain knife I could not cut through the dough and the cookies were a squished mess.

So rather then try and roll out the dough and fight with my rolling pin I chose to just pat the dough down with my hands in small amounts and cut the cookies. After the cookies were baked and I had a chance to taste them and I honestly think my own Chocolate Mint Cookie Recipe taste much better and the dough is not difficult to work with at all!

Of course I had to get foo-foo fancy with the chocolate and gold dragees and edible pearls but it's Christmas and I love decorating cookies! I must have at least a 100 different varieties and colors of sprinkles, sanding sugar, non-pareils and jimmies. A month or so ago I organized the basement closet that holds all my cookie confections and candy making equipment and if you'd like to take a peek just click here.







Chocolate Mint Cookies
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 large egg

Topping: 6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth.

Beat in peppermint extract and vanilla extract.

Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended.

Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).

Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

Using plastic wrap as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours. (Dough can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie dough logs; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely.

Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Dip fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies, drizzling melted chocolate thickly over cookies in zigzag pattern. Refrigerate cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. (Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.)







Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios and a Christmas Cloche Party

Well here I am with my fourth recipe for 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza and I decided to make the Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios. I keep at least one cake plate with dome on the island in my kitchen and it's always full of goodies. I noticed that anyone entering my kitchen was always looking around to see what was available to eat and so I thought I'd just make it easy for them! And here's all my cookies decked out for Christmas.







I have to admit I'm not a Biscotti lover, in fact I've only made it once before and as I remember I was just married so that will give a hint how long ago it was. It's not that Biscotti tastes bad, it's just that I prefer soft, cake-like cookies. But this Biscotti was so Christmasy with the white chocolate, red cranberries and green Pistachios, I just could not resist making it and Mr. Tastebuds loved it!



I only made a few changes to the recipe. I used Vanilla Almond Bark instead of White Chocolate and I sprinkled the Bark with a little coarse sugar to give it some Christmas sparkle!


I also made a trip to the Dollar Store...don't you just love that place! And I picked up the cutest stuff to dazzle up my Christmas Cookie photos! I bought a roll of red felt snowflakes, big red and green lollipops, miniature ornaments, teeny tiny garlands and I even bought a bag of Christmas M&Ms to sprinkle around my light tent!







Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whole aniseed
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide). Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth. Remove from over water. Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate. Place cookies on prepared sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)







The Holiday Cloche Party is the brilliant idea of Marty of A Stroll Through Life Please visit Marty's blog and see some wonderful creative ideas for the Holidays all freely shared by many generous people.



Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog