Cute-as-a-button sandwich cookies!

How can you resist a cookie that is this cute?  If they had cheeks I would pinch them, they are that cute!

The cookie is crisp and light while the filling is...

wait for it...

NUTELLA!

Yes indeedy this is a sandwich cookie filled with 100% Nutella.  It is like perfection in a little bitty bite.

These cookies are easy to make but are a bit time consuming, so sit back with a afternoon ahead of you and bake away!  Oh and a little warning this recipe makes A LOT!  I made 44 1" sandwich cookies but I could have made double that amount (and I would have eaten them all too!) If you like you can use a 2" round cookie cutter and cut down on the yield.

So without further adieu.....

Nutella Sandwich Cookies

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In the bowl of a food processor cream the butter and sugar together until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla extract, pulse until blended.  Add flour, cornstarch and baking powder, pulse until it starts to form a ball.  Turn out mixture onto the counter and knead until all of the dough comes together.

Divide dough into three equal parts.  Roll out each part till desired thickness (mine were about 1/4" thick).  This dough doesn't rise much so if you want a thinner cookie you can roll the dough thinner.  Using a 1" or 2" round cookie cutter cut the cookies and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown on bottom.  The cookies won't color much while baking so don't worry if they do not appear very brown on the edges, just check underneath.  

Dust with powder sugar and let cool completely before filling.

Spread a little nutella on the flat side of the one cookie and sandwich with another cookie, flat side in of course.

Diary of a Bread Baker's Apprentice: Entry 1

Need to come up with a catchy title for this years goal.  So far I have two possibilities:

2011 - The Year of the bread
2011 - A Bread Odyssey

What do you think?  Any suggestions?

Now you must be wondering what my goal is exactly.  Well as you can see it has something to do with bread.  I love bread, I can eat it any day - all day!  Since culinary school I have been hooked on not just eating it but making it as well.  Usually I put my bread baking hat on a couple times of year, but this year it is different.  I want to make a concentrated effort in learning more about the science behind bread, what makes it tick.

Through some research I decided to buy The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.  Now I know many have participated in the BBA challenge and others have done similar challenges on their own blog.  But I wanted something a bit more personal for me, a diary of sorts.  Something I can look back on to see where I can from.  I want to bring you along on my own journey through this consummate guide of bread baking.  Sharing my ups and downs, mishaps and triumphs I hope to show you the wonder and frustration of baking your own bread.

I started off with something easy for my first attempt-a baby step if-you-will.  The cinnamon walnut raisin bread.  A quick, relatively speaking when considering the multi-day process of the majority of breads in the book, sweet, and simpler bread.  For the most part the process was easy-peasey!  I learned in school to let the mixer do the kneading.  But I wanted to use this re-education as a way of learning how to do it in it's most basic form and that includes kneading by hand.  That is what I did and it wasn't easy.  Why?  Well it has to do with the window-pane test.  Reinhart describes kneading as a mechanism to develop gluten, the dough needs to have a smooth flexibility.  If a small ball of dough can be stretched to form a very thin membrane so light can shine through when held up in front of a light (a window) the gluten has developed enough.  The dough is good to go!  Well I failed the test!!  After kneading WAY beyond the suggested time, the dough struggled to be stretched into that membrane.  Grrrrrrrrrrr...

I just proceeded to the next step anyway - the rebel in me decided to heck with that stupid test (just a little FYI my perfectionist streak is way stronger then my rebellious one so next time I am passing the test with flying colors - even if I have to knead that dough for hours!)

So where was I?  Oh yes all I needed to do was add the raisins and walnuts and let the dough ferment.  Well I think the formula calls for a bit too much raisins and walnuts because as I kneaded them into my dough they would fly off, falling onto the floor, shooting across the counter, and generally causing me to cuss like a sailor!  No matter how much I kneaded they wouldn't cooperate, so I left a good portion out of the dough.

Needless to say, the rest of the process went without a hitch and I have been enjoying this bread every morning for breakfast.  It is great, cinnamon-y, soft, and with the walnuts (I used black walnuts) it has a fantastic crunch.  This week for homework I have been looking up youtube videos on kneading to see if another method is better for me.  I will try the slap and fold method next!  Ha...that should be fun!

Until next time....

Not your everyday Chocolate Cake

Ok...let's get this out in the open right now....

I am an Italophile.  I am not ashamed to say that Italy, to me, is the place of dreams.  Wonderful dreams filled with art, architecture and FOOD.   One day those dreams will become a reality.  But like all good things I have to wait (grrrrr!!)  So until then I try to incorporate little pieces of Italy into my life here in the good ole USA.

Best way to do this for me is through food - like you thought I was going to answer with anything else?  Ha!  Never!  No better way get acquainted with a culture then through food.

This brings me to one of my favorite food related pass times - strolling through the international food aisles at the market.  Finding new ingredients is so much fun and I can't help myself; picking up one or two enticing products is nothing unusual for me.  This last time I picked up amaretti cookies.  Having never tried them before I was surprised by their light, crunchy texture and the beautiful touch of almond.  I then remembered I had a recipe that included these little crunchy lovelies and I didn't think twice to jump in the kitchen and crank up the baking machine!

This cake has a fantastic crunchy exterior that hides the mouth-watering citrus-y center. Also I am fairly confident that it will surely be a hit with anyone who likes chocolate - and I mean who doesn't like chocolate?  So there you go a perfect, easy little cake that can be made in the blink of an eye.....oh and one more thing it doesn't ever require flour so no worries if you just ran out (like I have been known to do) you can continue with your baking plans as normal and enjoy the fruits of your labors!


Chocolate Amaretti Cake
courtesy Giada de Laurentiis 


3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup amaretti cookies (about 2 ounces)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
4 large eggs
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for sifting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with a nonstick spray.

Microwave the chocolate in 20 second intervals, stirring between each interval until the chocolate has melted and smooth.

Combine the almonds and cookies in a food processor. Pulse until the almonds and cookies are finely ground. Transfer this mixture to a medium bowl, set aside. Add the butter and sugar to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Next add the orange zest and pulse, until incorporated. While blending add the eggs 1 at a time until they are incorporated. Make sure to clean the sides of the bowl a couple of times with a spatula.  Add the nut and cookie mixture and melted chocolate. I found it easier to pulse a couple of times in the processor and then pour the batter into a bowl and mix by hand a bit to make sure everything was evenly mixed.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the center puffs and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.

Transfer the cake to a platter. Sift the cocoa powder over and serve.