Anthill shortbread

My nephew loves anthill cake and because of that last December I bought a large bag of chocolate sprinkles – he was visiting me every week and we would bake the cake together. It was a lot of fun.

The pandemic came, so did the need of social distancing and the anthill cakes became a thing of the past. Sometimes I see the huge jar of sprinkles in my cupboard and I miss those Saturdays with my nephew so, so much. I wanted to find a way to use up the sprinkles in other recipes, and decided to add them to cookie dough.

These shortbread cookies are simple, yet delicious: crunchy when you bite them, then they melt in your mouth. I baked the first log of dough at the same day I made the recipe, then froze the other log for some other time. Last Sunday my husband wanted something tasty to go with his espresso and we were out of cake; I turned the oven on and baked the other dough log – freshly baked cookies for the super cold day we were having. 

Anthill shortbread

slightly adapted from Annie Bell’s brown sugar shortbread

 

200g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

50g light brown sugar

50g granulated sugar

300g all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon table salt

6 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles

3 ½ tablespoons whole milk, cold

 

For sprinkling over the dough logs:

1 ½ tablespoons granulated or demerara sugar

 

Place butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs – at this stage there will still have large pieces of butter. Add flour, salt and chocolate sprinkles and mix again until mixture is sandy. With the mixer on low, add the milk, gradually, just until a dough starts to form – you might not need to use all the milk.

Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of baking paper. Shape dough like a cylinder, using a ruler to help, as Martha does here. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Unwrap one of the dough logs (keep the other in the fridge) and brush it lightly with water. Sprinkle with half the sugar, spreading it evenly. Slice the cylinder into 1cm-thick rounds. Place onto the prepared baking sheets 5cm (2in) apart and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool in the sheets over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully slide the paper with the cookies onto the rack and cool completely. Repeat the process with the other log of dough and sugar.

Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Makes 40

Coconuttiest shortbread cookies and the amazing "Birdman"

I have the feeling sometimes that coconut raises strong opinions pretty much like cilantro: people either love it or (really) hate it.

The same has happened with Birdman and I belong to the group of people who loved it: I found it sensational, intriguing, interesting, creative, with amazing acting – I never knew Michael Keaton could be so good! I left the theater with a deep appreciation for Iñarritu’s film – the way he moves the camera around is a thing of beauty (it reminded of how wonderfully Spielberg moved the camera around in Munich). And as I did last year with the ladies, I’m switching sides: I am so sorry, dear Steve, but I want the Oscar to go to Michael’s hands. :)

As for the coconut, I’m part of the loving group, too, so when I saw this recipe on Food52 I was more than willing to give it a go: coconut in two ways – both flour and oil – in shortbread cookies. They turned out delicious and have a lovely sandy texture, so just be careful when storing them (if there’s any left – I haven’t stopped eating mine ever since I removed them from the oven). :D

Coconuttiest shortbread cookies
from the wonderful Food52

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25g) coconut flour
¼ cup (35g) confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) coconut oil, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, coconut flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Set aside.

Combine the butter and coconut oil in the bowl of stand mixer. Cream on medium speed for two to three minutes, until the two are combined. Scrape the bowl down, and beat for another minute. With the mixture still running on medium, add the sugar in a slow stream. Beat for another two minutes, then scrape down the bowl. Add the egg yolks one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then beat the mixture for another two minutes, until the mixture looks white and satiny. Add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on very low speed until a dough starts to form.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment. Chill in the freezer until very firm, 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper - I like Beyond Gourmet a lot.
Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the freezer). Cut log into 6mm (¼in) thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets.

Makes about 50

Orange rosemary shortbread - becoming friends with rosemary

I have to start this text by confessing that it took me months (a quick look at Amazon shows me that I purchased the book in January, so almost a year) to make these cookies, all because I was a coward: I was afraid that all that rosemary in the dough would make the cookies taste weird.

I am thirty-five six years old and rosemary scares the bejeesus out of me: I always think that the food will end up tasting like soap. :S

I love cooking with herbs and will gladly add thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram, parsley, even cilantro to recipes without too much thought about it, for they make everything so much more delicious, but when it comes to rosemary I just can’t do it, and every time I watch Jamie Oliver adding tons of rosemary to his recipes I feel sort of desperate, my brain screams “it’s too much, too much!”. :)

I decided it was time to stop this nonsense and bought a small vase of rosemary to gradually start using the herb in my cooking, and these cookies were my first attempt at getting to know the rosemary better: they turned out delicious, the herb flavor perfectly complimented by the orange.

I feel a lot braver now. ;)

Orange rosemary shortbread
slightly adapted from the beautiful and delicious National Trust Simply Baking

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
1 cup (225g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
340g all purpose flour - I used 290g all purpose flour + 50g millet flour
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Put the sugar and rosemary in a food processor and whiz until the rosemary is very finely chopped. Transfer sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer, add the orange zest and rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add the butter and vanilla and beat with the mixer until pale and creamy. On low speed, beat in flour and salt. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll out dough between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a 4cm (1½in) cookie cutter to cut out cookies – if the dough gets too soft, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place cookies onto prepared sheets 2,5cm (1in) apart and prick them with a fork. Bake until lightly golden on the edges, 10-12 minutes.
Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack. Remove carefully from the paper.

Makes about 60

Spicy pecorino cookies - another great recipe for entertaining

The panna cotta I posted the other day is a good recipe for entertaining, but it’s not the only one: I like to serve canapés or small bites so my guests don’t starve while the pizzas are in the oven (or don’t get dizzy from the drinks). :)

These savory cookies are delicious and can be made ahead – in fact, you can keep the dough log in the freezer for up to 1 month and slice and bake the cookies whenever you want. I used pecorino because I love its sharp and strong flavor, but parmesan is a good replacement here (it is the cheese used in the original recipe). The poppy seeds add a nice crunchy texture, and as much as I love that next time I make these cookies I’ll omit them: they’re likely to get stuck in people’s teeth, and that’s not an elegant thing to do to guests. ;)

Spicy pecorino cookies
slightly adapted from the oh, so beautiful Seasonal Baking

85g finely grated pecorino (if using a milder cheese, add a pinch of salt to the recipe)
85g all purpose flour
2 pinches cayenne pepper, or to taste
80g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

In a large bowl, mix the pecorino, flour and cayenne. Mix in the butter and olive oil and, with your fingertips, gently work everything together. If it is too crumbly, add a drop more olive oil. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a log – like Martha does here. Sprinkle the log all around with the poppy seeds, making sure they stick to it. Wrap in parchment. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until very firm.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
Cut the log into thin slices and place 2.5cm (1in) apart on the sheet. Bake for 10– 15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool in the sheets.

Makes about 30

Coconut and pecan bars

Besides the urge to go to the kitchen, Nigella Lawson’s TV shows also bring me the thought of having kids – luckily for me the first is easy to deal with and the latter goes away after I finish watching the episode. :D
Right before I purchased Nancy Baggett’s beautiful cookbook on cookies I watched the lovely video posted on Amazon’s website and boy, not only did it have the same effect on me that Nigella’s shows usually do but I also wished my sister were a small kid again so we could bake cookies together like the two adorable children on the video. :D
Since I already owned a great book written by the author the decision of buying “Simply Sensational Cookies” was a no brainer – and these delicious bars were the first recipe I tried from it.

Coconut and pecan bars
from the delicious Simply Sensational Cookies

Shortbread layer:
13 tablespoons (182g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour

Filling:
1½ cups (165g) pecans, chopped
1½ cups (150g) sweetened flaked or shredded coconut*
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, chopped
2/3 cup (116g) brown sugar, packed
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 32x22cm (13x9in) baking pan, line it with foil leaving an overhang in two opposite sides, and butter the foil as well.
Shortbread layer: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt just until blended. On low speed, beat in the flour just until the mixture forms a mass. Pat the dough onto the base of the prepared pan into an even layer. Prick it all over with a fork and bake for about 20 minutes or until light golden and slightly darker around the edges. Remove from the oven, leave it on and make the topping: combine the pecans, coconut, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a medium heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
Pour the mixture evenly over the shortbread layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is bubbly, golden brown and just slightly darker around the edges. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack, then cut into bars to serve.
Bars can be stored, airtight, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

* I used sweetened shredded coconut and though the bars were a bit too sweet – if I were to make these again I would definitely use unsweetened coconut

Makes 24 – I made the exact recipe above using a 20x30cm (8x12in) pan

Almond and rosewater shortbread

I might love baking cookies but I usually shy away from rolled out kind – yes, I’m lazy and yes, I’ve turned several rolled out cookie recipes into slice and bake cookies out of sheer laziness. Not a very nice thing to admit, I know, but true. So months ago, on a cool day – which because of the temperatures we’ve been having here lately seems even more distant – I decided to make roll out cookies, and the combo almond and rosewater seemed perfect: not only because I thought it would taste delicious (and it was, indeed) but also because all those almond pieces dispersed throughout the dough would definitely stop me from turning the cookies into the slice and bake kind. :D

Almond and rosewater shortbread
slightly adapted from the always beautiful Australian Gourmet Traveller

120g whole almonds
220g unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup + ½ tablespoon (75g) icing sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rosewater
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons Amaretto
330g all purpose flour
3½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Assembling:
2-3 tablespoons rosewater, or to taste
1½ cups (210g) icing sugar, for rolling the cookies

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Spread almonds on an oven tray and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden (5-6 minutes). Cool completely, then coarsely chop and set aside.
Beat butter, icing sugar, vanilla and rosewater in an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the yolk, then Amaretto, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt, add almonds and stir to form a stiff dough, then turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Roll out dough between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper to 1.5cm-thick. Cut into your desired shape using any 5cm (2in) diameter cutter and place onto prepared sheets. Reroll scraps once. Bake until light golden on the edges (18-20 minutes), cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with rosewater. Carefully roll the warm cookies in the icing sugar, then cool over a wire rack.
Cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container, for 1 week (dust with icing sugar between layers).

Makes about 60

Dried cranberry shortbread + Tilda

There are things one just knows without the need of much explanation – one just feels it. I haven’t, to this day, watched “The King’s Speech” but I know, deep down in my heart, that its winning of the Best Picture Award last year was so, so wrong. And I know that because I’ve seen five of the movies that were nominated with it – if the world were a fair place that would never have happened. And don’t even get me started on Tom Hooper winning for best director – that was heresy.

I watched “We Need to Talk About Kevin” last night and I left the theater with a mix of emotions that is hard to describe. If it was up to me this year’s best actress in a leading role award would go to Tilda and I don’t need to watch the other performances to know that – I just feel deep down in my heart that no one could beat Tilda this year, despite my love for Close and Streep; it’s humanly impossible.

*Spoilers*

If the movie had this effect on me it must be devastating for parents. I can’t imagine what it feels like for a mother, or for anyone for that matter, to watch a psychopath in the making – all those signs, no matter what anyone does or says. It seems that it cannot be stopped. Kevin’s eyes –throughout all the different ages – creeped me out. A human being without feelings, someone who is capable of being so mean. During those two hours I caught myself holding my breath dozens of times; all that noise, all that red – it makes you uncomfortable, suffocated. You feel the mother’s desperation and fear, the father being such an idiot makes you angry. The minute I saw the little girl with a patch over her eye I knew her brother had had something to do with it – the more you see of him the more evil you expect. As the film goes one, in a non-linear way, Eva’s feelings – of course her name would have to be Eva – became my feelings, all the guilt she carries with her. The brief dialogue and the hug in the final scene felt like a punch in the stomach. I don’t like to play the gender card but in this case I strongly believe that being directed by a woman made this movie what it is – looking forward to seeing more of Lynne Ramsay’s work; to me, she deserved the nomination more than Alexander Payne or Woody Allen this year.

Out of eggs after baking two cakes I still wanted to bake cookies; therefore, shortbread seemed the perfect choice. Martha’s book on cookies had just what I needed: an easy recipe that turned out delicious.

Dried cranberry shortbread
adapted from the absolutely delicious Martha Stewart's Cookies

1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (105g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour, sifted
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (55g) dried cranberries, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F*. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Combine butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer, in low speed, just until combined. Stir in dried cranberries. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll out dough between two sheets of lightly floured baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a 4cm (1½in) cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Use a paring knife to trim stray bits of cranberry from edges – if the dough gets too soft, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place cookies onto prepared sheets, 5cm (2in) apart, and bake until lightly golden on the edges, about 20 minutes.
Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack.
Cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

* I baked my cookies at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes

Makes about 60 cookies

Bakewell slice and almost forgotten CDs and books

Trying to organize – at least a little – my CD collection I found this CD: I bought it in 1996 because of 3-4 songs but a couple of days later all the tracks had become favorites of mine – and still are. I absolutely love Erasure and even though I hadn’t listened to this CD in several months I instantly started singing along each and every song.

That kind of feeling is what made me want so badly to cook or bake something from "Feast" – despite having bought the book in 2007 I don’t use it very often, but I get something delicious every time I do; These bars are no exception.

Bakewell slice
from Feast: Food to Celebrate Life

Base:
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon (220g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (47g) icing sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Frangipane filling:
2/3 cup (150g/1 1/3 sticks) unsalted butter
4 eggs
¾ cup (150g) superfine sugar
1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal
2/3 cup (80g) flaked almonds
1 heaping cup jam

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) metal baking pan, line with foil, leaving an overhang in two opposite sides. Butter the foil as well.
Start with the base: put the flour, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and blitz to combine and remove any lumps. Add the butter and process again to get a crumbly mixture that’s beginning to come together. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press into the base of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Make the topping: melt the butter and set aside. Put the eggs, sugar and almond meal into the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth.
Lightly toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan. Set aside.
When the base is cooked, remove it from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Spread the jam evenly over the base. With the processor motor running, pour the slightly cooled melted butter down the funnel into the other ingredients and process until smooth. Pour it over the jam layer and top with the toasted almonds. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan, over a wire rack. Cut into slices to serve – it’s best warm, but it tastes delicious at room temperature as well.

Makes 16

Pecan, coconut and lemon bars

I’m a creature of habits, and I’m OK with that.

Going through Amanda Hasser’s amazing compilation of recipes, my heart stood still when I read the words “lemon” and “bars”; I immediately thought that you’ve already seen enough lemon bars around here, but I went on and read the recipe anyway. I’m so glad I did: these were not regular lemon bars. These were a match made in heaven of a chewy, nutty filling – packed with pecans and coconut – and a delicious, lemony icing – the one I love spreading over cakes and such. Did I tell you there is a buttery, shortbread-like base, too? :)

I grabbed one of the bars and munched away while watching “Rope” – too bad I was so tired I fell asleep in the middle of the movie. :(

Pecan, coconut and lemon bars
slightly adapted from the amazing The Essential New York Times Cookbook

1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup (175g) light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (55) pecans, finely chopped
½ cup (50g) shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (261g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan, line the bottom and the sides with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sites; butter the foil as well.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and mix in low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Press the mixture into the base of the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, pecans, coconut, vanilla and eggs until smooth. Pour over the partially baked base and spread it evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is firm. Remove from the oven.
Mix together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Spread it evenly over the topping, then let cool completely. Carefully remove from the pan using the foil handles. Cut into bars.

Makes 16

Almond and jam bars

You probably won’t believe me, but the universe conspired for me to make this recipe. :D

I was watching one of Bill’s shows – aren’t his daughters the cutest things ever? – and he made these bars. On the following morning, I found the exact amounts of almonds and jam in my fridge; I considered it a sign – you know how much I’m fond of signs – and started baking the bars right away. :D

Almond and jam bars
from Holiday

Almond topping:
4 ½ tablespoons (63g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + ½ tablespoon (56g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g flaked or slivered almonds
2 tablespoons whole milk

Base and filling:
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (40g) corn starch
160g raspberry jam – I used a different flavor, fruits de bois

Preheat an oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly grease a 24x20cm baking pan*, line with parchment paper leaving an overhang on two opposite sides and butter the paper as well – I used foil.
To make the almond topping, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla extract with the almonds and milk in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook over a low heat until the butter has melted, and then leave the mixture out to cool.

Make the base: combine the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Sift the flour with cornstarch into a small bowl and add to the butter mixture in 2 batches, beating on low speed until just mixed – you might want to finish incorporating the dry ingredients with a spatula to avoid overmixing. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove the pastry from the oven and leave it out to cool for 10 minutes.
Carefully spread the raspberry jam over the pastry base, and then spread the cooled almond topping over the jam. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until golden.
Cool completely before cutting.

* I used a square 25cm pan and tried to remove the entire baked good from the pan – using the foil hangers – before cutting: it was a complete disaster; I highly recommend it to be cut inside the pan to avoid breaking the bars

Makes 20

Lemon shortbread

If you take a look at my now organized bookshelf – I’m so proud of myself! – will see that every single book and magazine have several bookmarked pages; a closer look and you’ll see that most of those pages hold citrus recipes – what can I do? If there are lemons, limes or oranges involved, I’m in.

My obsessions are not restricted to food, only – ask my husband how he feels about watching “Eastern Promises” once again. :)

Lemon shortbread
from Donna Hay magazine

2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (55g) icing sugar, sifted
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons corn starch, sifted
2/3 cup (94g) icing sugar, extra, sifted

Place the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour and corn starch and beat just until a smooth dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Place each half onto a large piece of baking paper form into a 20cm (8in) long log. Wrap well in the paper and refrigerate for 1 ½ hours or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Unwrap one of the dough logs (keep the other in the fridge) and slice it into 1cm-thick rounds. Place onto the prepared baking sheets 5cm (2in) apart and bake for 15-18 minutes or until light golden. Remove from the oven and cool in the sheets for 5 minutes.
Gently toss the warm shortbreads in the extra icing sugar and allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 40 – I got 38

Chocolate shortbread fingers and gifts from Berlin

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a clickaholic – every time I read something online I click, and click, then click and click again. I go, link after link, and sometimes I don’t even remember where I started. :)

I was listening to Billy Idol’s “Sweet Sixteen” this morning on my way to work – absolutely love that song – and, after googling him, then the song, I ended up here. I did not know about that artist and was really intrigued by his bio and work.

That’s how I met Silvia, a lovely Brazilian blogger who lives in Berlin. I clicked on Technorati, then clicked on one blog that had linked mine... And we became friends.

All the delicious treats you see on the photos were sent by her, all the way from Germany. Isn’t it amazing? You, my blogger friends, will end up spoiling me pretty bad... :)

Silvia, my dear, thank you so much for the gifts!! I loved each and every one of them! xoxo

Another result of my clicking mania was finding this recipe – Jen posted it a long time ago and I urge you to try it, too. These cookies are wonderful and I’m sure you have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Chocolate shortbread fingers

1 ½ cups (340g/3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons (370g) all-purpose flour
4 ½ tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
heaping ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (200g) superfine sugar
granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 160ºC/325ºF. Butter/spray a 30x20cm (12x8in) rimmed baking sheet and line with parchment paper, letting it hang over the long sides. Sift together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. If you don’t have superfine sugar, process granulated sugar in a food processor for 15 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Spread dough into baking sheet. Chill dough in refrigerator or freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm – mine took 35. While still hot, cut into 10x2.5cm (4x1in) pieces. A pizza cutter works wonderfully for this. Sprinkle top of shortbread with granulated sugar, covering completely. Cool completely in the pan.

Makes about 20 (I cut mine a bit shorter and wider than Jen’s)

Toffee apple shortbreads

Joao and I went to Sao Paulo’s Mercado Municipal last weekend – the one Anthony Bourdain visited in one episode of “No Reservations”; btw, I’ve read he said some mean things about the city. I hope he never comes back, thank you very much.

Mercado Municipal is a very traditional market, full of lots of types of food and ingredients, but it was my first time there. I went crazy with all the spices, nuts, fruits and veggies, cheese, olives... I got home with several new ingredients to cook and bake with. And an emptier wallet, too. :)

My first choice was some delicious dried apples I’d bought there– they were so good I was glad there was a lot more than the amount called for in the recipe. :)

I found these bars here and used a different pan to make them. Make sure you use a warm knife to slice the bars, so you won't mess up the topping like I did.

Toffee apple shortbreads
from Delicious magazine

Shortbread base:
110g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
40g caster sugar
175g all-purpose flour
10g cornstarch

Filling/topping:
100g dried ready-to-eat apples, finely sliced
450g firm dulce de leche*
200g dark chocolate, chopped and divided

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Grease and line a square 20cm (8in) baking pan, leaving some paper hanging out of the pan on at least two sides (it will make unmolding easier).
To make the shortbread base, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour and cornstarch and, using a rubber spatula, then your hands, work to a dough. Place in the pan and use your fingertips to roll out flat and into the corners – if you have much too warm hands you might try it with the back of a spoon, lightly dusted with flour.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.Scatter the apples over the cookie base, spread over the dulce de leche and level out. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.Melt 150g of the chocolate in a glass bowl over barely simmering water. Remove the bowl from the pan and quickly wipe the water with a kitchen tower – no water should be in contact with the chocolate. Add the remaining 50g of chocolate and beat well to melt it. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and apples, then spread evenly. Set aside to cool at room temperature for about 2 hours or until set. Remove from the pan and cut into squares.

* you can warm the dulce de leche into pouring consistency prior to adding it to the cookie base.

Makes 16 squares

Savory herb, black pepper and parmesan shortbread

I think you all may have already noticed that I really like baking. I do. I used to be a Daring Baker, for crying out loud. But I had never baked savory cookies before.

I tagged this recipe after seeing it on L.’s blog, Bake or Shake. Her cookies looked delicious and one just can’t go wrong with cheese and herbs. Oh, and butter. That’s just impossible. :)

I made these to give as a gift and to be honest I almost gave up on sending them – they were so good! They’re a great snack and go perfectly with ice cold beer. Or caipirinha…

Savory herb, black pepper and parmesan shortbread

½ cup (113g/1 stick) salted butter, softened – I used unsalted
¼ (heaping) cup (35g) ground parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon freshly cracked/ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil (or use the dried herb you like the most)
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour

Line a light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the butter, salt, parmesan, black pepper and basil until creamy and speckled. Slowly add the flour, and mix until dough holds together when pinched. If dough is still too crumbly, add up to 1 tablespoon of ice water – I didn’t need to. Turn out onto a floured counter top, roll into a ball and then into an elongated log, around 30 to 35cm (12 to 14 in) long, depending on how large you want your crackers. Try to make sure the log is an even length, and wrap in tinfoil or plastic and freeze for at least half an hour, or longer if you don't want to serve them today. If you do, preheat your oven to 175ºC/350ºF.

Remove from the freezer, and slice into rounds: the original recipe (by Ina Garten) yields nearly 36, L. got 24 or so and I got 35. Arrange in rows on the baking sheet, with at least a little space between them - they won't spread like normal cookies or biscuits. Bake for 15-25 minutes, checking after 15, until golden brown around the edges and smelling delicious (so true!! The smell is intoxicating).
Remove and cool completely, or serve slightly warm.

Makes 35-36