4.10.2009

Fudgy Nutwiches With Chocolate Ganache

I had a temporary loss of baking mojo with these cookies. The original recipe, Fudgy Nutwiches With Caramel Mascarpone Cream called for a filling made from mascarpone cheese. I still don't know what I did wrong, but it definitely didn't come out right, which really annoyed me. I was really mad at myself, but still decided to tackle the Fudgy Nutwiches With Chocolate Ganache. At first, while the ganache was in its first stages, I thought I had done something wrong because it was taking really long to thicken. Eventually, it thickened really well and I knew I hadn't lost my baking mojo =)

I mixed together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

After mixing the flour, I melted the chocolate on the stove.

I added butter and honey to the chocolate.

After, I added sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Then, I stirred in the nuts.

I used a small cookie scoop and really tried my hardest at making them as even as possible.

They all came out pretty even!

This is the ganache fresh from the fridge. It had a really good spreading consistency.

I put like a teaspoon of filling between each cookie.


Fudgy Nutwiches With Chocolate Ganache
*makes about 3 dozen 1 3/4-inch sandwiches*

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
2 tbsp strained Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt Bittersweet, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped with 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:
1) Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F. Line the cookie sheets with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
2) Strain together three times the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3) In a 3-quart bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat and blend in the butter, then the honey. Using a wooden spoon, add the superfine sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat 100 strokes to thoroughly combine. Stir in the nuts.
4) Strain the dry ingredients into the batter in four additions, folding in with a large rubber spatula. Do not over mix.
5) Drop 1/2 teaspoon of batter from the tip of a spoon, 2 inches apart, onto the cookie sheets, forming 1-inch mounds. Be sure that the mounds are uniform in size. Allow the dough to stand 5 to 10 minutes or until firm enough to roll into balls. Then shape each mound into a ball and bake.
6) Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Do not over bake. The cookies will feel slightly soft on top. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 or 3 minutes before loosening with a thin metal spatula. Transfer to cooling racks. When cookies are cool, sandwich each pair with about 1 teaspoon Chocolate Ganache. Refrigerate until firm.

Chocolate Ganache
*makes 1 generous cup*

Ingredients:
6 oz fine-quality semisweet chocolate, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 tsp hot water, if needed

Directions:
1) Place the chocolate in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until finely chopped.
2) In a small saucepan, over low heat, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup together until it comes to a simmer. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the processor bowl. Let stand for 1 minute so that the chocolate begins to melt. Pulse three or four times, then let rest 1 additional minute. Add the vanilla and pulse three or four more times.
3) Empty into a container. If the ganache's surface appears oily, add the hot water, a few drops at a time, stirring well after each addition. The ganache will thicken as it stands, but should remain pourable. If the sauce fails to thicken, refrigerate it for 4 to 5 minutes.
NOTE: When ganache is used as a filling for a drop or sandwich cookie, it is best chilled to spreading consistency.



Recipes from Great Cookies: Secrets To Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter

Crystallized Ginger & Macadamia Wafers

I know. I'm disappointed too. At least from now on, I'll have more time to definitely update more. I'll be posting alot more recipes so hopefully you will enjoy them all! This first of many posts has to do with Crystallized Ginger & Macadamia Wafers from Carole Walter's Great Cookies: Secrets To Sensational Sweets. These cookies are nice and crispy with a great taste. The macadamia and the ginger mix well and provide a nice level of satisfaction to both ginger lovers and cookie lovers in general. These do spread out though while maintaining a nice round shape. As you'll see in one of the pictures, I tried them with two different sizes. If you like them small, then do them small and you'll be able to have a giant selection of tiny Wafers. I preferred them at a larger size, like medium-large, in order to make sure that all of them got both ginger bits and macadamia nuts.

I first mixed flour, ground ginger, and salt.

I then beat the butter by itself 'til it was nice and creamy.

I added light brown sugar...

...granulated sugar...

...egg whites and vanilla.

The flour mixture was then added.

I folded in the macadamia nuts and the ginger until it was well-blended.

I used a medium cookie scoop for most of the batter.

See? The ones at the top were scooped with the medium one and the ones on the bottom were scooped with the small one. They come out round regardless of which scoop you decide to use.

I thought at first that the golden edges were going to look weird, but once they were all made, it actually looked nice and uniform.


Crystallized Ginger & Macadamia Wafers
*makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookies*

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
6 tbsp granulated sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 scant cup macadamia nuts, cut into quarters with a pairing knife
1/2 cup crystallized ginger chips

Directions:
1) Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 375F. Moderately butter the cookie sheets.
2) Strain together the flour, ground ginger, and salt. Set aside.
3) In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed until lightened in color, about 1 minute. Add the light brown sugar and then the granulated sugar, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, then add the vanilla. (It is okay if the mixture appears to separate.)
4) Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until blended after each addition. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the macadamia nuts and ginger bits. Do not over mix.
5) Drop 1 1/4-inch mounds from the tip of a teaspoon onto the prepared cookie sheets, placing them about 3 inches apart (these cookies will spread). Dip your fingertips in ice water and gently flatten the mound.
6) Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back toward the end of the baking time. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 or 3 minutes or just until set. Using a thin metal spatula, carefully loosen and transfer to cooling racks. If the cookies stick, return the pan to the oven and heat briefly.



Recipe from Great Cookies: Secrets To Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter