Hummingbird Cookies

There are cake spin offs from cookie recipes and vice versa. Some of the spin offs prove to be a delicious genius idea and some miss the mark all together. Most of the cake to cookie recipes result in cookies with a cake-like texture. I have to admit, that type of texture is usually not my preference, but this recipe is tasty enough to make me reconsider that.

The special combination of flavors and texture in this recipe offers the best of both worlds. Without icing, the are subtly sweet with crunchy pieces of pecans and chewy bits of dried pineapple. If you are in the mood for something sweeter, top these gems with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle on some banana chips and pecans. Whichever way you decide to prepare them, they will quickly disappear. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Hummingbird Cookies
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients/Cookies
1 1/2 cups of regular oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped dried pineapple
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 medium sized ripe banana (mashed)

Ingredients/Frosting and Topping
1/4 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup crumbled banana chips
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the salt, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with the butter, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Cream together until fluffy, beating for about 3-4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add one egg and mix at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Repeat the process with the other egg.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the mashed banana until evenly distributed into the batter. Pour in the sifted ingredients and fold into the batter until no dry streaks remain. Mix in the oats. Lastly, fold in the pineapple and nuts.

Place mounds of the batter 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, using a tablespoon or small  melon ball scoop. Using a glass with the bottom dipped in water, press down mounds into flat circles, about 1 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter. Place prepared sheet in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until done. Cookies will have a golden edge and be firm on top when done.

Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet prior to transferring to a rack. Frost cookies once completely cooled.

To make frosting, mix together salt, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add cream cheese and beat for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl when needed. Sift 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture and beat until blended. Repeat the process until all the powdered sugar has been mixed in.

In a small bowl, mix together the pecan and banana pieces. Using a knife or spatula, spread frosting onto the cooled cookies. Once a dozen have been frosted, sprinkle pecan/banana chip blend on top of the frosting and lightly press to adhere. Repeat the frosting and sprinkling process until all the cookies are covered.

Tips and Notes:
1. The recipe states to use a glass that is floured on the bottom to flatten the dough. The water method works much better.

2. I am in a high humidity area and the moist surface of the cookies (unfrosted) had me cautious about stacking them together, so I let them dry out overnight before storing. Also, I waited until the night before serving to frosted them.
                                **LASAT YEAR:Banana Fudge Bundt Cake**

Lime Press Cookies

The cookie recipe states to pipe these cookies, using a #3 star tip to form these into a circle.  However, I decided to pull out the cookie press.  It has been packed away for some time.  The reason for that was due to the template or stencil of the cookie press breaking under the force of cookie dough.  The cookie dough was a recipe that was made for the press.  The main lesson here is that it is best to invest in a cookie press with metal templates-not plastic.

After making these cookies, I am glad to say that the press is back in my favor.  The dough was one that did not require chilling and it worked like a charm.  Being a blogger, I am somewhat picky when it comes to giving food out that I have made.  I recently made a candy bar cookie recipe in which the caramel candy in the cookie batter exploded when baking.  Believe me, no amount of parchment paper or wax paper could help in this situation and the cookies looked like just a pile of cookie pieces.  Someone had stated that I still should have brought them, because they would have even eaten the cookie pieces!  Nice of them to say, but no.

The recipe for the cookies included 1 3/4 tsp of ground cloves and they have no glaze or icing on them.  My modifications included glazing the cookies and eliminating the clove spice.  After baking these cookies, I noticed that they had a lime flavor but it was subtle.  So instead of adding another flavor with the glaze, I added lime zest.  Per my taste tester, the plain cookies went from an "ok" to a "really good" once the glaze was added.  With the pop of lime, these crisp buttery cookies can be addictive.  Not to mention the fact they are small in size, which is a good excuse to eat another.  This recipe makes about 5 dz cookies.

Lime Press Cookies
adapted from Desserts by Nancy Silverton

Ingredients
2 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp lime zest
2 cups flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1 tbs lime juice
7 oz or 1 and 3/4 sticks of butter 
1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  If you are using a pastry tip to form these, the recipe states to line the cookie sheets with parchment paper.  For a cookie press, the pans do not require any preparation.  Lay a piece of wax paper underneath a cooling rack on a flat surface.

Add the butter and lime zest to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat on medium high for 5-8 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  After beating the mixture should be very light in color and silky.  Add the sugar and beat for another minute then turn off mixer.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and the lime juice.  Add this mixture to the cookie dough in the stand mixer.  Beat for 30 seconds.  Then remove the bowl and fold in the 2 cups of flour. 

To form the cookie using a pastry tip, spiral the dough in a circle, leaving a very small opening.  The cookie should be about 1/4 inch in height and the dough should barely overlap where ends meet.  For the cookie press, follow the manufacturers instructions.  Once one cookie sheet is filled, place in oven to bake for about 15-17 minutes.  The cookies will be golden brown on the edges when done.

After 2 minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to completely cool.  Repeat the forming and baking of the dough until nothing remains of the dough except baked cookies.  Once all are cool, they are ready to be glazed.

Satin Lime Glaze
adapted from Betty Crockers Cookie Book

Ingredients
4 tbs butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tbs water
1 tbs lime zest

Brown the butter in a small saucepan.  Let it cook until golden, but be careful that it does not burn.  Remove from heat and then stir in the powdered sugar. Stir in enough water to reach the correct consistency.  Lastly, mix in the lime zest.

Using a squirt bottle, drizzle glaze over top of the cooled cookies.  Do not worry about perfection, the consistency of the the glaze will allow for it to spread and run over the sides of the cookie. Let the cookies sit for about 2 hours to make sure the glaze is set before storing.

Tips and Notes:
1. The glaze will start to set up in the bowl if you prepare in advance of the cookies being baked. You will need to stir in more water to maintain the consistency.
2. These cookies are delicate, so take care when removing from cookie sheet and transferring to cooling rack.
3. Using the cookie press would seem to be more forgiving than the pastry tip.  If a cookie shape does not turn out, you can remove from the pan and put in dough bowl to be pressed out again.  Not sure if that method would work as well using the tip and parchment paper on the cookie sheets.
                       **LAST YEAR: Brown Butter/Cream Cheese Carrot Cupcakes**
 

Biscotti Aloha

I will admit, I have not been a great fan of the biscotti-type cookies.  After baking these, I realized that there is a vast difference in the texture of homemade vs store bought. The store bought biscotti are not all that great, especially if you are not the type to dunk.  Simply put, they are too hard and dry.  These homemade biscotti have a cookie type texture, sort of the same as snickerdoodle cookies.

For traditional flavor and taste, homemade is the answer.  So if someone tells you they have tasted it from the grocers, they have yet to experience the true traditional, homemade flavor.  Some foods from the grocers come closer to hitting the mark than others, but when it comes to biscotti- the grocers version is way off.

Besides the nice texture, these biscotti bring forth the flavors of the tropics with with coconut amaretto, macadamia nuts and coconut. Also, the cookies are easy to make and easy to transport. This recipe makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dz cookies.

Biscotti Aloha
adapted from a little book called Biscotti by Lou Pappas

Ingredients
2/3 cup quartered or chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
2 eggs
2 tbs coconut amaretto or 2 tbs milk
and 1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups plus 2 tbs flour

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.  The preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, beat butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Then beat in the eggs ( one at a time) and continue to beat while adding in the coconut amaretto or milk and almond extract. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, flour, baking powder and nutmeg.  Fold the sifted ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.  Once dough is formed and no dry streaks remain, stir in the nuts and coconut.

Divide the dough into two batches.  Take each batch and form into a log.  Each log should measure 14 inches long, 1/2 thick and 1 1/2 inches wide.  Place each log 2 inches apart and side by side on the baking sheet.  The longest length of each should be parallel with the longest side of your baking sheet. 

Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes, rotating at the halfway point.  Logs should have a golden crust when done.  Remove pan and place pan on rack.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Take one log and put on a cutting board.  Slice the log with a serrated knife on the diagonal, cutting into half inch slices at a 45 degree angle. Do the same with the second log.  Then take each slice and place cut side down on prepared baking sheet.

Place sheet in oven and let cookies bake for 2 minutes.  Then remove and flip over with second cut side facing down and bake for another 3 minutes.  Remove pan and place on rack for cookies to completely cool.

Tips and Notes:
1. coconut amaretto was not found at the liquor store so I used a mixture of 1 tbs and 2 1/2 tsp of amaretto and 1/2 tsp coconut extract.
2. For an extra special cookie, try coating one end in melted white chocolate.
                               **LAST YEAR: Pistachio Layer Cake**