Wienerstube Cookies

Wienerstube Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 166.

These are Austrian cookies, very dark in color, with a sandy, rich chocolate flavor that is enhanced by spices. The black pepper as well as the cayenne really gives them a kick. They are one of those cookies that you might not think much of after eating one but you find yourself going back for more...

I could not find many references to this cookie online nor could I find a translation of the word. Maida only gives a one-sentence introduction.

These are very easy to make and you can bake them all at once after the dough has frozen or make only partial portions as you like.

1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (preferably Dutch process)
6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

This recipe makes 48 cookies.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, cayenne and cocoa. Set aside.

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla...

and the sugar. Mix well.

Mix in the egg.

Add the sifted dry ingredients a little at a time until thoroughly mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as well as the mixer paddle.

Cut a piece of wax paper about 16 inches long. Place the dough by pieces down the center and form it into an oblong strip about 12 inches long by 2-3 inches wide. Using the wax paper to form the dough works well for this.

Once the dough is formed, wrap it securely in the wax paper and put it in the freezer. Leave it for several hours or you can use it days or even weeks later. When ready to bake, slice it thinly and place on cookie sheets 1" apart. Bake for 10 -12 minutes at 375. They are done when the tops spring back. Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Comments

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. viii. I made these brownies again a few days ago and they were just as good as ever. This time I made half with York Peppermint Patties and the other half with Andes mints. There wasn't a noticeable difference in taste. The ones with the Andes mints were pretty with the mint green color but the ones with Yorks are equally pretty. When Maida Heatter's first book (the above-mentioned title) won the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame Award in 1998, she accepted her award on stage and began to toss out these brownies to the audience. Everybody clamored for one and went wild. The original recipe came from a local deli in her area and did not include the mints (that recipe is available in the first edition of this book). She tinkered with the recipe and added the mints which do not melt during baking. I've been itching to ...

Mulattoes

Mulattoes Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 199. Of the hundreds of Maida Heatter cookie recipes, this may be the most famous. These are chunky but soft, extremely chocolaty, full of nuts and chocolate chips. Sinfully delicious! They are easy to make. The trickiest part may be the baking time. After making them numerous times, I have learned to only bake them 10 or 11 minutes at the most, then remove them and allow them to sit on the hot baking pan for about 5 minutes. They will be extremely soft to the touch but eventually they firm up nicely. I just use my hand mixer for these. Although the recipe states that it makes 18 large cookies, I find that the yield is slightly higher, even when making them fairly large. I use a tablespoon scoop to form the cookies. 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 3 oz. (3/4 stick) butter 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking pow...

Frozen Chocolate Mousse

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 228. Here is a dessert sure to make any chocoholic swoon. Silky and decadent, this frozen mousse is like a rich chocolate ice cream. It is really easy to make - all the folding required will give you a workout but it is worth it! The crust can be made with crushed wafer cookies or you could even buy a ready-made crust. If doing your own, the instructions say to apply the crumbs around the sides of the pan (use a springform pan) but I did not do this - I just made a bottom layer. You will have to run a sharp knife around the pan before releasing the catch on the pan. The mousse is soft (even after freezing) and it will need to be put back in the freezer as soon as possible after serving. Maida Heatter recommends covering the mousse with either whipped cream, strawberries or chocolate leaves. I did not do either, it looks lovely without a topping. Crust 8 oz. choc...

Mad About Maida

Search This Blog