Experimenting with Cookies

Same ingredients .... different ratios

• 300g Plain Flour
• 150g Sugar
• 200g Butter
• 1 teasp Vanilla paste
• 1 teasp Baking powder
• 2 medium eggs
• 200g Chocolate chips

• 12min @ 170C

Shortbread Cookies

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Ingredients
• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 225g  sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 120g  all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Procedure
1. Beat together butter, cheese, salt and pepper.  On low-speed, slowly add flour.  Mixture will become dry and crumbly.
2. Add two tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time.  Beat until mixture just comes together into a ball.  The mixture may take an extra teaspoon of water, but don’t add too much.  The dough should be moist but not wet.
3. Knead spices, like chilli, if you want to, into the dough.  Leaving streaks of the seasoning is just fine.
4. Wrap each disk of cracker dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better).  The dough can also be frozen for future use.
5. Preheat oven to 170 C.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough very thin (5mm).  Dot center of cracker with a fork or the end of a paint brush.
7. Place crackers on prepared baking sheets.  The pieces can be close together as they won’t expand much when baking.
8. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until fragrant, golden brown, and crisp.  Allow to cool before serving

Spritz Cookies (Viennese)

Ingredients

226.8 g unsalted butter, softened

201.3 g granulated sugar

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

326.0 g all purpose flour, sifted

optional: sanding sugar, sugar decorations, candied fruits

Procedures

Preheat the oven to 190.5°C. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, salt, and cardamom on high speed for 7 minutes, stopping often to scrape down the sides, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for an additional 5-7 minutes on high, stopping often to scrape down the sides and beater, until light and fluffy.

Stop the mixer and add the sifted flour all at once. Mix on the lowest speed for only 15-30 seconds, just until the flour starts to incorporate with the butter mixture. Stop the mixer and finish the job by hand using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Take care to only mix until the dough is homogeneous.

Press the dough into the tube of the dough press, turning the tube as you go for even distribution of dough. Screw in the desired pattern and pipe quickly onto the surface of cool, clean metal sheet trays (do not use nonstick trays, silpats, or parchment paper). Work quickly and rhythmically; try not to stop as you pipe out the cookies. if you are not satisfied with the shape, scrape them off the pan with an offset spatula and reload the dough. Sprinkle with decor if desired and bake for 5-7 minutes for small cookies, 7-9 minutes for larger ones, turning halfway through. Spritz is traditionally on the lighter side, but baking a bit darker yields a crispy cookie with toffee notes. Watch the cookies carefully for browning at the edges if you are aiming to make a lighter cookie. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet tray for 5 minutes before loosening with an offset spatula and transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving. These will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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