12.20.2011

Countdown to Christmas: Chow's "Split-Second Cookies"

Do you know about Chow? If not, you should. Go ahead and check it out. We'll still be here when you get back.


It's pretty cool, isn't it? We loved their recent article titled, "Crazy-Easy Christmas Cookies," and since a little illness put a snag in our Christmas baking agenda, "crazy-easy" seemed like a good plan. 




So, we made their "Split-Second Cookies" the other day. Well, "split-second" is a bit of an exaggeration, and they weren't "crazy-easy" (just look at that long list of directions!). Still, they weren't too difficult or time-consuming either, and we love the crispness, the buttery flavor and the cut-on-the-bias prettiness of these jammy cookies.



Although the recipe suggests using "smooth jam," we used a wonderful slightly-seeded jam we got this summer on a day trip to Enders Island at Mystic, CT. It's called The Triduum Three-Berry Preserve. The priests and sisters at St. Edmund's Retreat  make it, and it is delicious. Special thanks to "Whit" for bringing us to Enders Island, and thanks to Chow for the great cookie recipe.







Split-Second Cookies
Recipe from Chow, but pictures here were taken by us.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth jam

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk the measured flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to aerate and remove any lumps; set aside. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl, and add the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until incorporated, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough just comes together, about 45 seconds.

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla and beat well.
Then add flour mixture to turn into a dough


Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and form it into a disk. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Using your hands, roll each portion into a 10-by-1-inch log. Carefully transfer 2 of the logs onto each prepared baking sheet. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make a 1/2-inch-wide and 1/2-inch-deep trough in the center of each log, leaving a 1/2-inch border at each end. Place the jam in a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag (snip off one bottom corner of the plastic bag, if using) and pipe the jam into each of the troughs.

Divide dough into quarters

Roll into 10-by-1-inch logs


Make a "jam trough" in the center of each "log"

Fill "trough" with jam


Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom and bake until the cookie logs are light golden brown around the bottom edges, about 10 to 12 minutes more.

Bake until golden brown around the edges

Place the baking sheets on wire racks and let the logs cool for 15 minutes. Pick up 1 of the parchment sheets and carefully transfer the two logs to a cutting board. Cut each log on the diagonal into 1-inch-wide pieces. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining parchment sheet and cookie logs. Let the cookies cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

6 comments:

Brooks at Cakewalker said...

These are fantastic! Not only are they easy peasy, but they suggest festive flair in the way they mimic candy cane stripes. Thank you for sharing this and Happy Holidays!

Lacy said...

MMmmm!! These look so good! I love cookies that include some kind of delicious jam or preserves. Yum!!

kat said...

That looks like an interesting one to try for next year.

Anonymous said...

Mmm these look really delicious with all that jam in the middle!

Emily said...

I just found this website the other week from a link. I have made two recipes and couldn't have been happier.

Kiri W. said...

Great ideas in a crunch! :)