Mad About Maida

Bittersweet Chocolate Macaroons Source:  Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.) , pg. 212. I thought all macaroons had coconut in them but this recipe proved me wrong. It does have the consistency of coconut - very chewy and moist. True to their name, they are bittersweet so if you like macaroons that are not overly sweet, you might like these. 7 oz. (1 1/3 cups blanched almonds 1 oz. semisweet chocolate 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup plus 2 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process) Pinch of salt 3 egg whites Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment or with foil, shiny side up. Set aside. Toast the almonds in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Remove 12 of the almonds. Chop them into small pieces (they will be used to sprinkle on top of the macaroons before baking). Set aside. Place remaining almonds in a food processor...

I had never blanched an almond in my life before I discovered Maida Heatter. Many of her recipes call for blanched almonds , which are simply peeled almonds. It is as easy as 1-2-3-4-5-6 but it can be a little time consuming if you need lots of them. Step 1 : Place the almonds in a bowl - use a good-sized bowl so that the almonds are not piled up on top of each other. Step 2 : Add boiling water, just enough to cover the almonds. Let this sit for 1 minute. However, if your almonds are not the freshest, let them sit a little longer (1.5 to 2 minutes). Step 3 : Drain the water off the almonds Step 4 : Rinse the almonds Step 5 : Spread the almonds out on a paper or cloth towel to dry Step 6 : Hold the almond between your thumb and finger and squeeze at the tip. The skin will peel right off. (Sometimes you may have to slightly scratch the tip to break the skin if they are tough)

Pennies From Heaven Source:  Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.) , pg. 155. Fragile and dainty, these are small (about the size of a quarter) cookie sandwiches. They are extremely buttery and almost melt in your mouth. The dough is soft and very easy to work with. You can freeze a portion of the dough to make a batch of them at a later date. The recipe originates from Chris Gargone at Remi, an Italian restaurant in New York City. Ingredients: 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (to use when shaping the dough) 1 cup plus 1 TBS sifted unbleached flour 1 cup plus 1 TBS strained cornstarch 1 cup plus 1 TBS confectioners sugar 8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter Pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla extract Place the oatmeal in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade. Pulse several times until the oatmeal is powdery. Set aside. Place flour, cornstarch and sugar in food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade. Pulse once or tw...

Viennese Chocolate Icebox Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 123. Dark and delicious, these cookies look and taste like those you might purchase in a fancy tin. They have a sandy, crisp texture and are fragile. Ingredients: 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) sweet butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp almond extract 2/3 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour Crystal sugar or coarsely chopped blanched almonds Melt the chocolate in a double boiled over medium heat. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and sugar. Mix well.  Beat in the egg and the melted chocolate. On low speed, gradually add the flour, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat only until the mixture is smooth. Cut a piece of wax paper about 15 inches in length. Place the dough by large spoonfuls down the length of the paper, form...

Toblerone Milk Chocolate Mousse Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 232. Surprise your Valentine sweetie or guests with this wonderful mousse made with Toblerone chocolate bars. Incredibly creamy and soooo chocoately, it is heaven! The recipe makes 4 servings so if you need more, just double it. Ingredients: *7 oz. Toblerone milk chocolate, broken into small pieces *6 TBS boiling water *1/2 cup heavy cream *2 egg whites *Pinch of salt *2 TBS sugar *Optional: additional Toblerone for shaving over the top Place the chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the boiling water and stir until the chocolate is melted. As soon as the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat and set aside. Whip the cream until it holds a definite shape. Beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold a soft shape. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture holds ...

Chocolate Chip Wheat Germ Cookies Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 115. These cookies were a pleasant surprise and I absolutely love them. They are crisp and chewy and I like them even better than the Positively-The-Absolute-Best Chocolate Chip Cookies . They are very large and flat (you measure them out with a 1/4 measuring cup and I'm not exactly sure if they have to made this large. Maida Heatter credits Esther Starbuck, a high-school teacher from Buena Vista, Colorado for this recipe. 3/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour  1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 lb (1 stick) sweet butter (softened) 3/4 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 1 large egg 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant) oatmeal 3/4 cup untoasted wheat germ 2/3 cup shredded coconut 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to ...

Rocky Roads   Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 250. This is probably the easiest Maida Heatter recipe you will find. Only three ingredients, no baking and you can make it in 10 minutes. It is very pretty and you could wrap the entire block of candy and give it as a gift. 1 pound milk chocolate (I used Hershey's) 12 large marshmallows or 1 2/3 cup miniature marshmallows  1 1/2 cups pecan halves or large pieces Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch square cake pan with foil. If using large marshmallow into quarters. (Use miniature marshmallows to save time and skip this step). Break the chocolate into pieces and slowly melt it on low heat in a double boiler. Pour about half of the chocolate mixture into the foil lined pan and spread it to cover the bottom. Sprinkle half of the nuts over the chocolate. Place the marshmallows pieces in an even layer over the choc...