Pennsylvania Squares

Pennsylvania Squares (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 107.

This is a recipe that I had marked long ago as one to try. I was intrigued by Maida's introduction to the recipe when she stated that a taste tester at the Hershey company told her that it was her personal favorite. That is quite some recommendation!

After making these, I was certain that I had tasted them before. I don't know if it was the same recipe or just something similar. The cookies (or bars) have a thick, shortbread-like taste and consistency. There is an overall strong toffee flavor. 

I used plain old milk chocolate Hershey bars but you can use any brand you desire. I was thinking that a dark chocolate might be good. 

These are very easy to make. Getting them out of the pan might be the trickiest part although if you are very careful, there should not be any problems. I think lining the pan with a parchment sling or foil might work better.

This recipe makes 32 squares.

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 1.45 oz. bars of Hershey's milk chocolate
5 oz. (1 1/4 cups) walnuts, chopped into small pieces

Adjust the oven rack one third from the bottom and preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9x13" baking pan.

Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the egg yolk and beat well. Add the flour on low speed, scraping the bowl as necessary. 

Transfer the dough to the pan in a thin layer. An easy way to do this is to spoon small pieces of the dough over the pan, then cover with a layer of wax paper. Using your fingers and palm, press down to form the dough into an even layer.

Bake for 23 minutes. The dough will rise and fall.

As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, place the chocolate over the dough allowing 1/4" to 1/2" space around the sides of the pan. After a minute, use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate over the top.

Sprinkle the nuts over the top. Cover with a piece of wax paper and press down to assure that they are embedded into the chocolate.

Use a small sharp knife to cut around the edges of the pan. Let stand until cool. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

Cut the cookies into 32 rectangles. Use a butter knife or a small spatula to gently ease the cookies out of the pan.

The cookies can be wrapped individually in cellophane or wax paper or place in an airtight container.

Black Pepper Cookies

Black Pepper Cookies

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 189.

These spice cookies are delicious and pretty addictive. They are very firm, you might even call them "hard", but so good. They have a caramel-like flavor.

About the baking time - 12 minutes seems accurate but I would begin checking at 10 minutes and take them out as soon as they begin to turn a light, golden brown and before they turn too dark. When trying a new recipe, I always bake one sheet at a time to know if I need to adjust the time for the remaining. Once you know that, you can certainly bake several sheets at once, just flip and swap them about halfway through. 

This recipe once again brings up the evil pastry cloth. Not really evil, I suppose, but I do not own one and have never used one. I found an array of alternatives online that can be used for such, ranging from paper towels to cheesecloth. I wondered about my silicon mat and asked that question online and the answer was yes you can!

One drawback I found to the silicone mat is that the dough tended to stick after rolling it out, even with a generous dusting. However, the dough is very firm and forgiving. You can easily slide it off the mat with a spatula or flat knife (which is what I used) and the dough stays firm. It reminded me of making biscuits. 

Makes 36 cookies

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper, ground fine
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. powdered cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. powdered ginger
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg

Adjust the oven rack to high and preheat to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

Beat the butter to soften it and then add the salt, pepper, cayenne, cloves, cinnamon,  and ginger.  You should scrape the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed.

Beat in the egg and the sugar, mixing and scraping the bowl.

On lowest speed, add the flour mixture.

Transfer to a board or flat surface and knead lightly. Divide the dough into three pieces. Work with one piece at a time. 

On a lightly floured pastry cloth (I used a silicon mat), roll out the dough to 1/8 to 1/4 thickness. 

Place the cookies about 3/4" apart on the cookie sheet. Use a spatula or a flat knife if the dough is sticking to your surface. This is a firm dough and easy to work with.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. I found that 10 1/2 to 11 minutes was good. You want to remove them from the oven before they begin to turn dark which they will do in a hurry. They will also continue to bake once removed so it is best to get them transferred to a wire rack immediately.

Store in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies

 

Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 160.

Another day, another icebox cookie recipe. These are just like regular peanut butter cookies but shaped like a wafer. The dough is very easy to work with and it slices beautifully after it has been frozen if you use a large, sharp knife. 

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg

Makes 40 to 48 cookies

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon. Set aside.

Beat the butter and peanut butter until soft.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the sugars. Beat until incorporated.

Beat in the egg.

On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until mixed.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Knead it slightly and form it into a ball. Using the heel of your hand, "push off" the dough away from you. Do this to all of the dough and then reform it and push it off again. The dough will have a clay-like texture. 

Now form it into an oblong shape about 10-12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until firm (several hours if using refrigerator, about 45 minutes if freezing it). You can freeze it until you are ready to bake.

When ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with foil or parchment. Slice the dough about 1/4 thick and place them 1" apart on the sheets. Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly colored and slightly dark around the edges. Transfer to a rack to cool.