Middle Eastern Sugar Cookies (Ma'moul Abiad)

These cookies are made with clarified butter called ghee that gives them a distinct creamy flavor. You can find it in the refrigerated section with the regular butter at Whole Foods, but comes in a glass jar rather than in stick form. This recipe is kind of a commitment and I almost gave up on getting these right, but the end result was definitely worth the effort!



Ingredients
4 T & 1 tsp. powdered sugar
1/2 c. ghee at room temperature
1 c. & 1.5 T all purpose flour
unsalted pistachios - remove shells

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix powdered sugar and ghee in a large bowl using your hands. It will look like pancake batter (pale yellow & slightly runny). Add the flour and continue mixing by hand until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate briefly (about 10 minutes). Remove from the fridge and knead the dough gently with your fingers. Take a small piece of the dough and form a ball about the size of a ping pong ball. Flatten the ball until it is about 1/4 inch thick and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and then press one pistachio on the center of the cookie. Do this for all remaining dough - should make about 12 cookies.

Bake at 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes until bottom of cookie becomes lightly golden. Remove pan from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for 10-15 more minutes so they can harden before you try to move them.

Note: I used parchment paper on my cookie sheet but that is not required.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Since we're clearly on a health kick this winter--we recently made this incredible dessert to go with our Valentine's dinner of beef short ribs and polenta. This cake tastes kind of like a melted brownie, and is best served warm with ice cream.

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, plus melted butter for brushing
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cacao), chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°. Brush four 6-ounce ramekins with melted butter. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon of the flour; dust the ramekins with the cocoa mixture, tapping out the excess. Transfer the ramekins to a sturdy baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter with the chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the granulated sugar with the eggs and salt at medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 2-3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted chocolate until no streaks remain. Fold in the 1/4 cup of flour.

Spoon the batter into the ramekins. Bake in the center of the oven for 16 minutes, until the tops are cracked but the centers are still slightly jiggly. Transfer the ramekins to a rack and let cool for 5 to 8 minutes.

Run the tip of a butter knife around each cake to loosen. Invert a small plate over each cake and, using pot holders, invert again. Carefully lift off the ramekins. Dust the warm cakes with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries.

Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup frozen solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Filling
3 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Instructions
For crust:
Mix flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter and shortening; rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix 3 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Drizzle over flour mixture; stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch; turn edge under and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping.

For filling:
Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat apples.

For topping:
Blend first 5 ingredients in processor. Add chilled butter cubes; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles wet sand.

Toss filling to redistribute juices; transfer to crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around apples. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 40 minutes (cover top with foil if browning too quickly). Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes longer. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cup flour
1 egg white
sanding sugar, for decorating

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. Once fluffy add the salt and egg yolk. (Reserve egg white in a bowl for later. I stuck mine in the fridge to be safe.)

Add flour to mixer and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour before rolling. The colder the dough the easier it is to roll out because it is extremely soft!

Flour a clean surface and flour your rolling pin. Divide dough into 4 sections (chill sections you are not rolling) and roll each section to a 1/4 inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutter.

Dust the flour off the cookies and place on a prepared cookie sheet. Whisk the egg white and brush an egg white glaze on each cookie. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake for 8 minutes and then let cookies cool for 1 minute before moving to a rack.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

This was a perfect complement to the grilled lobster since it was white on the outside and red on the inside. Anne, the secret ingredient is more than red food coloring. Mixing vinegar with baking soda makes this cake like an 8th grade science fair experiment, without the acne.

Cake

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
3 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and cut pieces of parchment paper to fit into bottom.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
4. Make sure you have cake pans nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it will fizz! Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the 2 cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. But check earlier than that to see if done.
5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Peel away the parchment paper. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese icing (recipe below).

NOTE: *Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients per recipe instructions.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
Place cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. With a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat, on low speed to combine. If too soft, put in the fridge for about 10 minutes before using.

Toasted Pound Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Strawberries

Thank you Oprah.

Ingredients
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
Dash of vanilla
4 thick slices pound cake

Directions
In a glass baking dish, mix strawberries with brown sugar and vanilla; let sit 30 minutes. Toast pound cake slices in a toaster, or in a 400° oven on a sheet pan 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Preheat broiler to high. Place strawberries (in baking dish) about 5 inches from heat source. Broil until just bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and divide berries among pound cake slices. Serve warm.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Cookies with the chocolate stuff stuck inside the other stuff.

Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packaged shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
12 oz dark chocolate chunks (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup almonds with skins (4 oz), toasted, cooled, and chopped

Directions
While the butter is softening, toast the almonds on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes, until they're golden.

Beat together the butter and both sugars. Once fluffy, add the eggs and beat well. Then beat in the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour and mix until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, dark chocolate, almonds, and cinnamon.

Grease baking sheets. For each cookie, measure 1/4 cup of the batter and place them about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Just barely pat down each cookie. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.