December 23, 2020
Christmas is only a couple days away. In the last few weeks leading up to Christmas, I’ve been simultaneously trying to do two things. The first is to scout out all of the fun festive activities in Ohio to squeeze into December. The second is to madly experiment with different ratios of ingredients in the kitchen in search of the next best dessert recipe to share. The holidays are my favorite time of the year to experiment with new treats in the kitchen. When I’m working on developing a recipe, I try to research and study the composition, techniques, and variations of a specific food before tackling it in the kitchen. I constantly test, retest, and tweak aspects of my recipes in an effort to produce the best possible versions. This way, I could build a solid repertoire of recipes to surprise family and friends during the holidays. Around this time each year, Kevin and I would either be in Brooklyn wrapping up last minute gifts at the crack of dawn to sneak under the Christmas tree at my parents’ home or in Hong Kong gathering around a table at a new restaurant trying out amazing food with his parents. We’ve continued with both traditions whenever possible for almost a decade. This year, however, Kevin and I have decided to forgo celebrating with family and friends. Instead, we'll be staying home and gathering around the cozy dining room table of our fairly new home. I’ve already gone the extra mile to deck the halls, kitchen, windows, and stairs with holiday cheer. I paid close attention to the kitchen in particular since it is my favorite spot in our home. I had Kevin assist with stringing pre-lit garlands around the tops of our kitchen cabinets. I even plugged in the small Christmas tree we got at the Cincinnati Nature Center last week next to our stovetop. The lights and tree added such a festive touch to our kitchen.
Our holiday adventures brought us to EnterTRAINment Junction this weekend. It has been one of the places on my list of places to visit for some time now. When we saw tickets on sale again this year, we jumped at the opportunity to check out the display over the weekend. The level of detail in the model trains and building were just amazing. Here are some photos from our visit.
The next day, I set out to make chocolate dipped jam filled butter cookies, a recipe I’ve been working on over the last couple weeks. These cookies are very loosely inspired by the cookies I would get at the local bakery in the Brooklyn neighborhood where I grew up in. I would swing by the bakery whenever my cravings kicked in (or when the scents of the baked goods coming from the bakery was just too much to bear). The bakery was conveniently located a short walking distance from my childhood home. During the holidays especially, I would make a trip out to the bakery and get a few dozen cookies to share with my family. My absolute favorite cookies from the bakery were the buttery, crumbly Italian sandwich cookies filled with jam, dipped in chocolate, and topped with sprinkles. I remember how irresistibly delightful the cookies were. There was always a huge selection of cookies to choose from. Each shelf had a different variation. My eyes always zeroed in on the Italian sandwich cookies. I could taste the sweet fruitiness of the jam, the buttery, crumbly texture of the cookie, slightly bitter smoothness of the chocolate, and slight crunch from the sprinkles just thinking back to the cookies. I’ve eaten so many of these cookies, I could remember distinctly the flavors and textures of the cookies. When I set out to create my own version of those delightful cookies, I played around with different ratios of flour, sugar, butter, and egg. My experiments led me to a wonderfully balanced butter cookie with the right mix of chewiness and crumbliness. I find a mixture of flours and sugars to work best in creating the perfect balance of textures in these cookies. After multiple trials, I am finally ready to share my version of chocolate dipped jam filled butter cookies. The mixture of cake flour and all-purpose flour provided the perfect balance of tenderness and structure to the cookies. The blend of granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar gave the cookies a chewy and crumbly texture. For a festive touch (and Asian spin), I divided the batter in half and made a variation featuring matcha powder folded directly into the dough. The cookies were baked until just tender, cooled, and sandwiched with an assortment of jams. Each cookie sandwich is then dipped into some melted semisweet chocolate blended with a touch of refined coconut oil and topped with a generous handful of sprinkles. The cookies of my childhood dreams were finally complete. I have to be careful not to make these cookies too often or else I won’t be able to sleep from the sugar high.
For the assorted butter sandwich cookies:
· 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature
· ¾ cup granulated sugar
· ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
· 2 large eggs, room temperature
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· 1¼ cup cake flour
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· 1 packet (0.07 oz) matcha powder
· assorted jams (I used apricot, raspberry, and black raspberry)
· ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
· ½ tablespoon refined coconut oil
· sprinkles (optional)
Directions:
1) Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and combine until incorporated.
3) Gently fold in the flours and salt. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
4) Place a large star tip in a pastry decorating bag. Fill the bag with the cookie dough. Draw swirls about ½-inch to 1-inch in diameter on all sides onto the parchment lined baking sheets. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove the sheet pan with the cookies from the oven and let cool for an hour before decorating.
**If making a matcha version, fold in the matcha powder before filling the pastry bag with the cookie dough. Continue with the rest of step 4.
5) If making jam filled versions, spread a thin layer of your desired jam onto the flat side of one cookie. Press another cookie onto the other side. Set aside.
6) If making chocolate dipped with sprinkles and jam filled versions, melt the chocolate chips with the refined coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Dip the jam filled cookies into the melted chocolate. Top with sprinkles. Transfer the decorated cookies back onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Let the cookies cool for an hour before serving.
Takeaways: These cookies are amazing on their own, but can be easily customized to suit your tastes. White chocolate pairs very well with matcha and can be used in place of the semisweet chocolate chips. Crushed nuts can be used in place of (or in conjunction with) sprinkles for topping the cookies. I like to think of this cookie dough recipe as yielding three variations of cookies – a simple butter cookie, a jam-filled cookie, and a sprinkle-topped chocolate dipped sandwich cookie. The variations and combinations for these cookies are endless.