Sweet Explorations

pink

Cherry Blossom Curvy Cookies

By 21 Comments

Cherry blossoms are one of the first signs that Spring is finally here. Lucky us, it’s been really hot and dry this Winter in California so cherry trees are in full bloom. The tiny flowers are the inspiration behind today’s cookie and are the perfect excuse to use one of my new toys: NordicWare’s cake pop pan.

Cherry Blossom Curvy Cookies
 
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makes 50 cookies
Ingredients
  • for the cookies:
  • 1½ stick butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups flour
  • for royal icing:
  • One 2lb pack of confectioner sugar
  • ⅓ cup meringue powder
  • ¾ cup water
Instructions
  1. To make cookie dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and any flavorings and mix on medium speed to incorporate. Add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
  2. Roll between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut out your cookies and place them in the wells of one of the cake pop pans. Cover with the other pan.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies turn golden.
  4. To make royal icing, place all 3 ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on slow for a minute to combine your ingredients. Turn the mixer to high speed and mix for 7 minutes. Divide the royal icing in 3 parts to make each of the following colors: white, light pink and bright pink.

To make the dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy:

Add the egg and any flavorings and mix on medium speed to incorporate:

Add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together:

Roll between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes:

Here is my new toy: the Nordic Ware Cake Pops Baking Pan:

The pan comes in 2 pieces. Instead of making cake pops by shaping cake batter into a ball, we are going to flip one of the pans and use it to sandwich and shape our cookies as they bake.

Here is how to do it: Start by cutting your cookies. I found a cherry blossom cutter in a bento box kit at a Japanese store.

If you can’t find that shape, here is a great link to get them online (Kotobuki Set of 6 Small Stainless Vegetable Cutters):

Place the cookies in the wells of one of the cake pop pans:

Cover with the other pan:

Bake for 15 minutes or until they turn golden:

Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and the cookies will keep that shape.
To make royal icing, place all 3 ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on slow for a minute to combine your ingredients. Turn the mixer to high speed and mix for 7 minutes. Divide the royal icing in 3 parts to make each of the following colors: white, light pink and bright pink.

To decorate the cookies, start by a base of white royal icing:

Pipe tiny dots of pink icing:

Using a toothpick, poke the pink dots and drag towards the center of the cookie:

Repeat with half of the cookies. For the other half, use a bright pink base and light pink dots.

Happy Spring!

Heart Macarons

By 9 Comments

Macarons are delicious but they can be a baker’s nightmare. For years I could not get them right. My macaron shells were either delicious and ugly, or pretty and hollow. Macarons were my kryptonite. As a bakeware buyer, it was pretty pathetic. Every time I would meet a professional baker, I would grill them for advice. There had to be a trick. What is that secret that no one wants to share? Unfortunately, the more research I made on macarons, the more confused I got. But here is the good news. Forget everything you’ve heard, all those macaron urban legends. Here are some of my favorites: “you have to age the egg whites for 2 days at room temperature” (ew); “you have to make your own almond powder”; “you can only use powdered coloring”; “it is fine to overbeat the egg whites”; “whatever you do, do not overbeat the egg whites”. Aaaaahhhhh!!!! And then, over time, the following recipe came together. No secret technique. No mysterious ingredient. A simple and foolproof recipe for delicious French Macarons. Here is how to make them:

Heart Macarons
 
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makes 40 small French macarons (80 shells)
Ingredients
  • 200g almond flour
  • 200g powdered sugar
  • 4 egg whites (divided in 2)
  • 200g sugar
  • 50g water
  • Food coloring
  • 12oz chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Over a large bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Add 2 egg whites and mix to form a paste. Set aside.
  3. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip 2 egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks.
  4. In the meantime, in a small saucepan, cook 200g of sugar and 50g of water on medium heat until the syrup reaches 245 degrees F.
  5. Once the egg whites are forming soft peaks, slowly pour in the syrup with the motor running on medium speed. Then crank up to high speed and mix until the meringue turns super white and glossy, about 4 minutes. Add any color you want at this stage and mix to combine.
  6. Spoon a quarter of the meringue over the almond paste mixture and stir to combine. Don't worry about deflating any egg whites here. You are only loosening up the paste so it's easier to mix with the rest of the meringue. Once the mixture is uniform, add the rest of your meringue and fold until combined.
  7. Spoon macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip, about ¾" wide. Pipe your macarons on parchment-lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes. The macarons should come off the parchment paper easily. Let them cool on the baking sheet.
  9. To make your chocolate ganache, place 12oz of chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a small pan, heat up 1 cup of heavy cream until it comes to a boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and mix until combined. Pour ganache in a disposable piping bag or ziploc bag and place in the fridge for 15 minutes. As the ganache cools, it will thicken up. Don't wait too long though or your ganache will get too solid to pipe. Once your ganache has cooled and thickened up, cut the tip of the bag. Pipe some ganache on one of the macaron shells and top with another one.
  10. Place your macarons on a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
Over a large bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Add 2 egg whites:

Mix to form a paste. Set aside:


Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip 2 egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form:

In the meantime, in a small saucepan, cook 200g of sugar and 50g of water on medium heat:

Cook until the syrup reaches 245 degrees F:


Once the egg whites are forming soft peaks, slowly drizzle in the syrup with the motor running on medium speed:

Crank up to high speed and mix until the meringue turns super white and glossy, about 4 minutes:

Add any color you want at this stage and mix to combine. Pink is the obvious choice for Valentine’s Day:

Spoon a quarter of the meringue over the almond paste mixture and stir to combine:

Don’t worry about deflating any egg whites here. You are only loosening up the paste so it’s easier to mix with the rest of the meringue:

Once the mixture is uniform, add the rest of your meringue:

Fold until combined. You are looking for hot lava texture:

Spoon macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip, about 3/4″ wide. Pipe your macarons on parchment-lined baking sheet:

If your macaron shells have a little peak like the ones above. push them down with a wet finger.

To give them a little something special, let’s add a heart-shaped sugar deco on half of the shells:

Bake for 15 minutes. The macarons should come off the parchment paper easily. Let them cool on the baking sheet:

To make your chocolate ganache, place 12oz of chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside:

In a small pan, heat up 1 cup of heavy cream until it comes to a boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and mix until combined:

Pour ganache in a disposable piping bag or ziploc bag and place in the fridge for 15 minutes. As the ganache cools, it will thicken up. Don’t wait too long though or your ganache will get too solid to pipe:

Once your ganache has cooled and thickened up, cut the tip of the bag. Pipe some ganache on one of the macaron shells and top with another one:

Place your macarons on a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight before serving. It sounds like an odd step but it is essential. The shells will absorb moisture from the ganache and turn this cookie into pure magic.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!