Day 30, 70 to go: Pochette dough

Cursed?

It’s a good thing I am not Sicilian, or I would just stop now.  I went to get the flour I needed for the Pochette dough but encountered an odyssey that led me to wonder if it was meant to be.  First, regular flour was nowhere to be found.  Eventually I discovered the last 3 bags and snagged one.  When I got to the checkout, I discovered the bag had a slit in it.  The girl at Trader Joe’s was very accommodating (of course) and had them bring a bag that wasn’t broken to replace it.  When I went out to the parking lot to arrange my stuff in my wheeled bag, of its own accord, the flour jumped out of the cart and landed on the ground.  Nothing else jumped.  Just the flour.  Luckily, the bag did not break—it only popped open when it hit the ground.  I managed to get my wheely bag packed and was ready to go on my way when I realized… the flour was still sitting on the park bench where I had put it when it fell. 

I thought long and hard about whether I even wanted that frakking bag by that point.  Not being Sicilian, I did not attribute any evil curses to the inanimate object and just stuck it in the bag and brought it home.

Flour doesn't stand a chance against butter & cream cheese.

Once home, I mercilessly put 4 cups of that ornery flour into the double batch of Pochette dough as I planned to yesterday.  Doesn’t this look yummy?  Butter, cream cheese, a vanilla bean and flour.   Soon, it will be stuffed with Nutella, baked and maybe even make it out of my house in a cookie care package.   

I still want to make more gingerbread dough –the classic molasses kind—and then I will start cutting out all these cookies.  There are cranberry/white chocolate drop cookies in my future as well.  And at least two kinds of springerle—bunny and spinster. (You’ll see)   Too bad my pizzelle iron took a dive off the top of the fridge some time ago.  Those were always fun to mess around with.  (Heaven forbid I make the standard anise ones.)

So that’s the update for today.  More cookie dough made.  Cookies to come.

Nutella Pochettes
Description:
This is an adaptation of a recipe from The Food Network by Melissa d'Arabian. I think it would be an impressive addition to the Western PA Cookie Table. It's also a nice substitute for traditional rugelach.
Ingredients:

1 c (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 vanilla bean (optional)
2 c flour
1/4 c plus 2 T Nutella
Water, as needed
Confectioner's sugar, as needed (1/4 cup?)

Directions:

 
1.   With a mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy.
2.   Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the mixture and incorporate evenly.
            (You can toss the bean into a sealed container of sugar to make "vanilla sugar" which  is yummy in tea)
3.   Add the flour slowly until nearly incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
4.   Use your hands to gently mix the last of the flour into the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5.   Preheat oven to 375
6.   On a lightly floured surface, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough about 1/8 inch thick.
7.   Use a 3 inch fluted circle cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can.
8.   Smush the scraps together and reroll to cut out more circles.
9.   Place a small dollop of Nutella in the center of each circle. (Maybe half a tsp at most)
10.   Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of half the circle.
11. Fold the dough in half over the nutella and press edges together to seal.
12.   Transfer to a cookie sheet. (I recommend 2 sheets on top of each other or an AirBake pan)  
13.   Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
14. Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes and then lightly dust with confectioner's sugar.
  (I am thinking I may mix cocoa and confectioner's sugar for the dust. I might even chop some toasted hazelnuts and toss them in with the Nutella)
16.   Store in airtight container.
Number Of Servings: 32 Pochettes
Preparation Time:About 2 hours including the 30 minute rest in the fridge

Day 29, 71 to go: Light Gingerbread dough.

Yummy Nutella filling...

I had a plan this morning.  I was going to make a double batch of dough for Nutella Pochettes and stick it in the fridge overnight so I could make them in the morning.  Sadly, I didn’t have quite enough flour on hand, so those will have to wait.  I was being so good at getting the cream cheese and butter to room temp.  Oh well.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Nutella Pochette, here is a picture.  A former co-worker came across this recipe last year and thought I would like it.  She was so right.  For those of you who are rugelach lovers, I recommend this variation.  Like rugelach, the dough is made with flour, butter and cream cheese.  Only instead of preserves, nuts, raisins, poppy seeds or other traditional fillings, these are stuffed with Nutella.  Sigh. 

Of course, since they are filled with Nutella, I can’t make just one batch.  I need to make at least a double batch.  And even then, the chances they will make it out of my house to someone else are kind of low…

Light gingerbread bunnies--honey bunnies?

Without enough flour for that double batch, I made a batch of light gingerbread dough which I will cut out tomorrow (after I go out and get more flour, right?)  This is a recipe I came across the year before last.  Instead of molasses as a sweetener in them, this recipe calls for honey.  I really like them.  They have that same intoxicating mix of spices—ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice that go into regular gingerbread.  But with honey rather than molasses, they have an entirely different flavor profile.  I love the way my house smells when I bake gingerbread. 

So, tomorrow, there should be some cookies to show for the dough I am making… I guess this week will involve a lot of cookie baking… and gnome making… How can it be less than 2 weeks until Xmas already? 

Golden Gingerbread Cookies
(by Jennifer Lindner McGlinn from her cookbook, Gingerbread)

Description: This was in my Gingerbread cookbook. They are such a nice take on regular gingerbread because they use honey instead of molasses.   They have a more gentle spice and are excellent cut-out cookies.   This makes a fairly small batch.

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 c (1 stick) butter at room temp
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1/4 c honey
1 large egg

Royal icing or sugar sprinkles
Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices.  
2. Beat butter on medium hgh until smooth.
3. Add the sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy.
4. Spray 1/4 c measure with Pam and then measure honey into it and add to sugars and butter. (The Pam lets the honey slip into the batter instead of sticking to the measuring cup)
5. Beat until smooth.
6. Drop in egg and mix until incorporated, scraping sides as needed.
7. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture just until dough comes together.
8. The dough will be very soft.
9. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, press into a disk and wrap tightly.
10. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
11. Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.
12. Roll the dough onto well-floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters.
13. Arrange on cookie sheet (If you are decorating with sugar, this is the time to sprinkle it on)  
14. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are barely golden brown.
15. Cool on pan for a minute or two and transfer to airtight container placing wax paper between layers.
16. Cool completely and decorate with royal icing if desired.

Number Of Servings:20 4" cookies
Preparation Time:Several hours including 2 hours in fridge